Gower Residents Recall Terror of Massive Grass Fires Near Homes

Fires raged in the Gower area for two days. One woman feared her house would burn down. Ella Haynes lives near Cefn Bryn, where the road was closed because of the fires. She felt sick rushing home and worries it could happen again.

Fire crews responded to the Gower Commons fires on February 17th and 18th. Some fires took over five hours to put out. People saw ten-foot flames across the road and could smell smoke from their homes.

The biggest fire was at Cefn Bryn early Tuesday morning. Five fire trucks went there, along with two small off-road vehicles. Twenty-six firefighters worked to stop it.

Ella was affected by one of the fires when someone called her about getting home fast. The fire was very close to her driveway, and they worried her car could explode. She described it as a wall of fire.

She rushed home, worried about her pets burning. She believes someone needs to be responsible. The fires caused distress and used resources, with firefighters working all morning and night. She said it was preventable.

David Keen drove on Cefn Bryn in one of the last cars allowed. He saw an orange glow, and it got hard to drive. He saw the glow as he neared the Bryn but did not know the fire was so large. Flames were close to the road, with gorse bushes catching fire and reaching ten feet.

Smoke made driving hard with poor visibility. He drove into the village and realized it was dangerous for firefighters near the road because he wouldn’t have seen them. The fire was close to properties on the lower road, so firefighters closed the road soon after he passed.

Another Gower resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, was told to shut all windows. They smelled smoke and saw fire from their window, about 150 meters away. A fireman checked properties and gave advice, saying it had never been so close.

Eve Wakeford lives in Reynoldston village. While the fire wasn’t very close to her place, the wind was strong, and she feared wild fires would worsen. She offered help to those needing to evacuate.

Fire services think the fires were deliberate because there were many different starting points. Some rural homes were nearby but were not directly hit.

Fires burned for two days on the Gower. The largest fire on Cefn Bryn needed many resources, including five fire trucks and two off-road vehicles. Twenty-six firefighters put it out.

Police were asked for their comments.