Rhandirmwyn wildfire: 'worst is behind us' after six days

Firefighters at Rhandirmwyn believe the worst of the wildfire above the village is over, six days after it took hold.

Councillor Handel Davies, who has been posting daily updates for Llandovery Town Council, said he spoke to major incident commander Kev Hughes at the control centre in the village on Monday morning.

Rain overnight was welcomed. Crews were waiting for the cloud to lift so helicopter pilots could decide by midday whether to keep bombarding the hotspots they have identified.

A Mid and West Wales fire appliance from Tenby parked on a forest track at dawn, with mist lying in the valley below — Tenby’s crew on the forest track above the village. (Image: Tenby Fire Station)

More rain is forecast over the coming days, and while it is not expected to be heavy, it has given the fire service enough optimism to start thinking about scaling back in Rhandirmwyn and moving resources to where they are needed elsewhere in Wales.

At least five fire engines and their crews will remain in the village for as long as the major incident status stays in place.

“It is now realistic to believe that the worst is behind us,” Cllr Davies said.

The pub that stayed open round the clock

The Royal Oak in Rhandirmwyn has been open 24 hours a day for five days, feeding and bedding the crews coming off the mountain.

Landlady Amanda Gordon thanked firefighters and farmers for the hours they have put in, along with the family, staff and neighbours who came in to make up rooms and cook Sunday lunch for everyone working the fire.

Milford Haven fire station, one of the crews sent in, said the kindness shown to them had been outstanding. “This would have been such a different story had it not been for the farmers and the local support,” the station said.

Tenby’s crew, who worked an evening shift on the mountain, said the community spirit was amazing and that they had been well looked after.

Four firefighters in soaked T-shirts and fire kit on a wooded hillside — Llandovery’s crew, who posted a message home to worried families. (Image: Llandovery Fire & Rescue Station)

Farmers have been cutting fire breaks with excavators and running a constant supply of water to the fire ground in their own bowsers. Fire service group manager Nick Rees passed on his personal thanks for that work on Friday.

Rhandirmwyn and District Community Association has raised more than £13,500 towards a £20,000 target to reimburse them, from 264 donations.

Six days on the mountain

Crews were called at about 12.45pm on Wednesday 12 August. The fire was upgraded to a major incident the following day, when it covered around 250 hectares, roughly 350 football pitches.

Homes were evacuated as a precaution and Carmarthenshire Council opened a rest centre at Llandovery Leisure Centre. By Sunday evening some of those residents were starting to think about moving back in, with the fire service promising to stay close at hand if anything flared again.

A helicopter flying over a hillside of burnt conifers, seen from inside a fire appliance — A helicopter targets hotspots deep in the conifer plantations. (Image: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service)

Flaring has been the problem. Wind kept setting off spontaneous flare-ups deep inside the conifer plantations over the weekend, in spots that are extremely hard to reach and harder to put out. A helicopter was brought in to drop water on them.

Crews came from across mid and west Wales, with mutual aid from North Wales and Lancashire.

Llandovery’s own crew posted a message home to families getting worried. “We’re doing our very best up in the hills of Rhandirmwyn to keep properties safe,” they said. “We’re hot and sweaty but so grateful to be serving our community at this worrying time.”

Two firefighters working a hose reel jet up into trees on a steep wooded slope — Damping down on the hillside above Rhandirmwyn. (Image: Llandovery Fire & Rescue Station)

The fire came in a week when phones across Wales sounded with an emergency wildfire alert, disposable barbecues were banned from sale, and a separate major incident was declared in south Wales with military support. Crews are still working above Pendine.

People are asked to keep away from the Rhandirmwyn area so crews can work. Anyone affected by smoke should stay indoors with windows and doors shut, and ventilate once it clears.