Plea from fire service as aerosols thrown onto campfire at Braunton

Firefighters have urged people to take care in the countryside after crews worked through the night to control and extinguish a campfire in Devon.

Crews were called to West Hill in Braunton last night (Thursday, July 23) after what is thought to have been be a campfire spread.

While there firefighters found evidence that aerosol cans had been thrown onto the fire.

When exposed to heat, aerosols can explode with the potential for dangerous flying metal fragments to cause injury.

In a warning to the public, the fire service said the ongoing hot and dry weather has left the countryside "extremely vulnerable".

"It only takes a single campfire or discarded ember for a fire to spread rapidly through dry grass, undergrowth and woodland, with devastating consequences for wildlife, the environment and nearby properties."

Parents and carers have also been urged to speak to their children about the danger of lighting fires, adding: "What may seem harmless can quickly become a major incident, tying up emergency resources and putting lives at risk."

Scroll down to see pictures from the scene.

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