Family rescued from heath fire

Family rescued from heath fire

About 10 acres of land were damaged by the fire

A family has been airlifted to safety from a field surrounded by a major forest and heath fire.

The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance rescued the family of two adults and two children from the edge of Verwood Forest in Dorset.

More than 150 firefighters were called out to the popular holiday destination where the fire broke out on Thursday afternoon

An air ambulance spokesman said: "It was a dangerous situation and the family were very fortunate we saw them because they were in the field surrounded by fire."

The crew of a Dorset Police helicopter also rescued a woman and her dog who were trapped by the flames.

More than 150 firefighters tackled the blaze

Three firefighters were taken to hospital suffering from heat exhaustion.

A Dorset Police spokesman said one house and some farm outbuildings also caught light in the fire, which damaged about 10 acres of land.

Several homes in Coopers Lane near to the incident were evacuated.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service had to ask for help from colleagues in neighbouring Hampshire.

About 25 appliances were at the scene before the fire was brought under control.

A Dorset Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the cause of the fire was not yet known and an investigation has been started.

He added: "It is a tinderbox out there because Dorset has not had any significant rainfall for five weeks."