A SERIES of fires broke out in areas of south and west Dorset during a challenging day for the brigade.

The first incident happened in Weymouth: one fire engine attended an address in Icen Way, Bincombe, following reports of a fire at 10.56 this morning.

A spokesperson from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service said the crew discovered a bonfire at the property that was under control, and no action was taken. The crew left the scene at 11.15am. Not long after, at 11.40am, reports came in about a house fire at Abbots Walk, Cerne Abbas.

Two fire engines from Dorchester attended the blaze, which started in the kitchen of the two-storey building.

The fire was extinguished by removing burning materials from the property, according to a spokesperson for the service. Nobody is believed to have been injured as a result. It was later confirmed that a chip pan had caught fire.

After leaving the scene at around 12.10pm, one of the Dorchester crews was called to reports of a large vehicle on fire at Hardy's Monument, joined by a fire engine from Weymouth.

"On arrival, crews discovered that the blaze had been caused by heavy farm machinery with overheated brakes", the spokesperson said.

According to reports posted on social media by the Dorchester fire service, the machinery in question was a telehandler vehicle.

Firefighters used a hose reel jet, and made sure the vehicle had cooled down to prevent risk of another fire breaking out before leaving the scene at around 1.15pm.

Meanwhile, within minutes of the fire at Hardy's Monument being reported, another call came in - this time about a public litter bin on fire at Hampton in Portesham.

A spokesperson said: "At 12.28 we received reports of a fire in a metal refuse container.

"One crew from Weymouth attended and found it to be smouldering. A hose reel jet was used to extinguish it, and it was out by 12.46pm".

A few hours later, at 2.34pm,

three fire engines, including a technical water rescue crew attended the scene of a car crash after being contacted by police.The incident happened at commercial premises near Sydling St Nicholas. A white Ford Fiesta had come off the road and crashed into a tree before landing in a stream. The driver is reported to have been unharmed.

CONTACT ME:

t: 01305 830984

e: ellie.maslin@dorsetecho.co.uk

twitter: @DorsetEchoEllie