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Watch footage of the
battle against the blaze.

This dramatic footage shows
how close a woodland fire has come to damaging a local
wildlife park.

Staff at Wildwood Trust, near Herne
Common have been helping local firefighters tackle a woodland
blaze, a week after it began.

Trust manager Peter Smith caught the advancing flames
on camera this week, as he and staff from the Kent Wildlife Trust
doused it down. He believes the cause could be unauthorised campers
in the area. He said: "We think some people might have been
living out in the woods.

“By chance, before the fires started, we’ve been working in the
area to clear a section of woodland, so native species can return
to it. That’s given us a bit of a head start in stopping the flames
from spreading.”

Crews have been attending the fire close to New Road
in West Blean Woods around the clock, since it started
last Tuesday afternoon.

Dry weather and tinderbox conditions have led to pine needles and
undergrowth catching alight. Hot spots have been damped down, while
trenches and fire traps have been dug to stop the flames from
spreading, with support from the Kent Wildlife
Trust.

Firefighters from Herne Bay have regularly attended the blaze,
including Graham Blake from Green Watch.

He said: “It’s been a constant process of putting lots of water
down on the ground and anticipating what might happen next.

“The flames haven’t been out of control at any point and have only
reached tree height on the odd occasion. “It’s what’s on the ground
that’s caught alight from the odd spark here and there.”

Wildwood Trust remains open for business and

Peter Smith admits the pro-active approach so far has
helped.

He added: “I cannot praise Kent Wildlife Trust enough for coming to
our rescue.

“They’ve organised a huge rescue effort to protect our animals and
are spending thousands of pounds putting in a fire break to stop
the fires threatening our animals.”