Second fire hits beauty spot

Ten acres of wildlife were destroyed in April

An inquiry is under way to find the cause of a serious scrub fire on the Malvern Hills.

The fire broke out on the North Hill, near St Anne's Well, just after 0030 BST on Tuesday.

Emergency services received more than 30 calls from worried members of the public and six fire crews from Herefordshire and Worcestershire attended the scene.

The firefighters had to climb the North Hill, the second highest peak in the range of hills which spans the Herefordshire and Worcestershire border, to tackle the incident.

Wildlife destroyed

The fire was eventually brought under control several hours later but firefighters are expected to be at the scene for the rest of the day to ensure the fire does not re-ignite.

Station Officer Phil Major praised the crews.

He said: "When climbing up the side of the hill, most people are in jogging bottoms and trainers but the crews were doing it wearing full equipment.

"It was very, very hard work. Each crew was here for a minimum of four hours and it was very hard graft."

Tuesday's fire is the second major blaze to hit the hills in the past five months.

In April, 10 acres of wildlife were destroyed by another fire on the hills, just yards from where the most recent fire is thought to have begun.

Investigators are keeping an open mind about the cause of the fire.