Woods fire 'deliberate'

Woods fire 'deliberate'

A fire which destroyed six acres of woodland in East Sussex was probably started deliberately, firefighters say.

About 50 officers from East Sussex and Kent fire brigades were called to Hoth Wood, near Rotherfield, at 1610 BST on Wednesday.

The flames spread across six acres of trees before firefighters were able to bring them under control at about 1800 BST.

A spokeswoman for East Sussex Fire Brigade said it was likely the fire had been started on purpose - possibly by children on school holidays.

Pattern seen

"Fires out in open countryside are usually started deliberately and we have seen a pattern since the weekend," she said.

"The number of fires on grassland and in rubbish bins has increased a lot.

"It's partly because of the school holidays and also because of the lovely weather we've been having."

The fire did not threaten any buildings and no-one was hurt, she said.