UK firefighters answer inferno plea

Firefighters have battled to keep the fires from spreading

Fire officers from the UK are to help tackle forest fires in Portugal using a substance similar to that used in babies' nappies.

Four officers from Northumberland, Durham and Lothian and Borders brigades have responded to a plea for help from the British Embassy in Lisbon.

The firefighters are flying on Friday with the specialist gel-like pellets that work by actively repelling flames and can be fired from easy-to-wear back-packs.

Cumbrian-based businessman Gordon Springall, who developed the equipment, said fire fighting volunteers in Portugal will be provided with 200 packs and training on how to use them by the UK firefighters.

Portugal has been hit by devastating forest fires over the past few days which have claimed nine lives, thousands of hectares of forest and an unknown number of homes.

Moorland fire

Jim Thompson, assistant technical support officer with Northumberland Fire and Rescue, said they had been using the gel for about eight months, and had made tackling grass fires easier.

He said he hoped the Portuguese would benefit from the technology.

"It has revolutionised the way we deal with moorland fires, both as a way of suppressing extinguishing the fire.

"It means firefighters can use it to dampen the grass around the fire before the fire itself is tackled. The 'gel' absorbs 10 times as much heat as water and is safe for the environment.

"It makes tackling grass and woodland fires much, much easier."

Mr Springall, whose company Acqua Lider is based in Cockermouth, Cumbria, said he was happy to help.

Foam-like substance

He said: "The British embassy in Lisbon has helped and British Airways is providing an aircraft to fly the equipment out to Portugal.

"I developed these products in 1989, but because we don't have a great shortage of water here they haven't really taken off.

"It is thanks to brigades like Durham and Northumberland, who use the backpacks, that they have become more widely known."

Mr Springall said the tiny granular pellets are similar to the substance used to make babies' nappies.

When sprayed onto fires, they expand and create a foam-like substance which starves it of oxygen.

He said when used it effectively it can cut the amount of water needed to extinguish fires by as much as 40%.