A large hillside wildfire near Axbridge kept crews from across Somerset busy has been tackled overnight, with Burnham-On-Sea firefighters among those called to tackle the fast‑spreading blaze.
The fire started at Shute Shelve Hill, near Axbridge, last night at around 10.26pm.
The fire service said crews used beaters and a wildfire pump to control the blaze.
Fire Control first mobilised Cheddar’s crew following reports of a fire on the steep hillside.
On arrival, firefighters said they were met with a significant fire front measuring roughly 100 metres by 50 metres, prompting an immediate request for three additional engines and an off‑road vehicle from Cheddar, Burnham-On-Sea and Winscombe.
With vehicle access severely restricted, crews were forced to work on foot, beating back flames with hand tools as the fire moved through gorse and brush on the slope.
Police closed the A371 at 11.03pm, and two more engines plus a water carrier were mobilised from Wells, Blagdon and Bridgwater, along with an Incident Command Unit from Street.
Just after 11.30pm, specialist Urban Search and Rescue teams were requested to deploy a drone to help map the fire’s spread across the hillside.
Shortly after midnight, crews reported steady progress despite the challenging terrain. An all‑terrain vehicle from Nether Stowey was called in at 12.48am to improve access, and by 12.59am firefighters had managed to establish off‑road routes to reach deeper sections of the fire.
At 1.17am, crews confirmed they had gained access to the head of the blaze and were using a wildfire pump to bring the incident under control.
“The operation continued into the early hours, with firefighters working methodically across the hillside to extinguish remaining hotspots and prevent further spread,” added a spokesperson.
