AROUND a quarter of Rosenannon Downs Nature Reserve, Bodmin, equivalent to over 20 hectares, was burned to the ground in a suspected act of arson last night.

Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service received in excess of 80 calls at around 10pm on Tuesday, February 9, reporting a large fire on the moorland between Wadebridge and St Columb.

Crews from Wadebridge, St Columb, Padstow and Bodmin an additional officer attended and additional resources from St Columb and Padstow were requested.

By 12.15am multiple large fronts of gorse are alight. The incident was sectorised and crews used beaters in an attempt to get the fire under control. The fire was extinguished by 1am. A Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "Arson is suspected."

Callum Deveney, head of nature reserves at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, who manages the area, said: “These fires are started by people who clearly don’t understand the damage they are doing. Controlled burns are an important way of managing heathlands, but they must be done at the right time of year, and areas to be burned should be planned and small in proportion to the overall size of the site. The fires that have burned at Rosenannon Downs are nothing of the sort, a huge proportion of the overall land area has been burned and an expensive fence has been destroyed. We are working hard to provide the best possible habitats for wildlife on limited resources, and then some thoughtless actions ruin it all.”

A site like this needs a range of ages of vegetation to be in its best condition for wildlife.  Thicker vegetation will support more nesting birds, mammals, reptiles and insects, and younger vegetation allows rare plants to emerge.  

Cornwall Wildlife Trust expressed its thanks to the multiple fire brigades for their rapid response which saved the majority of the nature reserve from destruction.

In recent weeks Cornwall Wildlife Trust released the key findings from an upcoming ‘State of Nature Report’, which shows many species and habitats are in decline across Cornwall. Acts such as the one witnessed last night are not only completely avoidable but cause instant, direct decline in local biodiversity. In response to the fire, Cornwall Wildlife Trust is asking for help in the form of donations to the nature reserves fund. Visit cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/naturereservesfund to donate.