Bad fire at Wild Ken Hill as Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service declares major incident

Wild Ken Hill in Snettisham suffered a "bad fire" today in the searing heat killing much wildlife, according to its management.

Firefighters were called late in the morning to the rewilded farm where the BBC films its Springwatch and other live nature broadcasts with presenters Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan.

Dominic Buscall, Wild Ken Hill project manager, tweeted at 1.24 that "unfortunately we have a bad fire in the coastal park ... too early to say how bad the damage is but certainly much wildlife lost."

Video of the blaze at Wild Ken Hill filmed by Dominic Buscall

He went on to say: "Climate change is here and we need a massive acceleration in our efforts against it."

At 5.10pm he tweeted that the fire was under control.

On a day when temperatures were in the high 30s in Norfolk, the fire service had gone out on nearly 70 calls by 6pm, including many ongoing bush fire.

Wild Ken Hill stretches from Snettisham to Heacham. It is not open to the public but is planning to hold a festival in September.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service have also declared a major incident due to demands placed on their crews.

A spokesperson said: " Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service have declared a major incident due to the demands caused by ongoing incidents related to the current heatwave.

"All appliances are either committed to ongoing incidents or have been alerted to a state of standby for incoming calls.

"Additional command, control and mobilising arrangements have been implemented to manage the increased volume of calls and incidents, and to ensure the best balance of available appliances across the county.

"While the incident is ongoing, we must prioritise resources and ask the public that they only contact Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service with emergency calls."