More than 80 firefighters battled a large fire at Holme Fen Nature Reserve near Peterborough after Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the scene at 10:24 BST on Saturday. It is the second time in a fortnight that crews have been sent to tackle flames at the peatland site, with teams working through the night and into the following day to bring the blaze under control.
How does this fire compare with the earlier incident?
The first fire broke out on 27 July, when more than 40 firefighters attended after flames took hold in the peat itself. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said at the time that the fire was
deep seated in peatmaking it likely to burn for far longer than a typical grass or woodland fire. Crews from Stanground, Chatteris, Dogsthorpe, Whittlesey, Huntingdon, Thorney, Manea and Oundle attended that initial blaze, supported by a specialist 4x4 vehicle and a water carrier, according to Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. At that stage, the service said crews expected to remain on site for the rest of the day and possibly for a couple more days given the nature of peat fires.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed on 31 July that crews had left the scene of the first fire, handing the matter over to police for further investigation, according to the same force update. Within days, however, flames flared up again at the same reserve, prompting the far larger response now under way.
What are crews doing to contain the latest fire?
Dozens of firefighters, including reinforcements from neighbouring fire and rescue services and additional specialist vehicles, have been working in what the service described as arduous conditions. In a statement posted to Facebook, the service said:
They are continuing to work hard to contain the fire and stop it from spreading further, and have been working in sectors.
The force also expressed gratitude to nearby residents who had helped supply water for the operation, thanking
all the farmers and members of the public who have offered water to help us with the ongoing incident. Crews have relied on hand tools such as beaters to smother the flames, with the service noting over the weekend:
[Crews] have been working extremely hard in sectors to get the fire under control and stop it from spreading. They have been using equipment such as beaters to control and extinguish the fire.
What impact is the fire having on the local area?
Several roads around the reserve have been closed while the operation continues, and Cambridgeshire Police officers have also attended the scene. Closures include the junction of Hod Fen Drove and Holme Lode, the junction of Long Drove for the B660 and New Long Drove, and the entirety of Holme Lode. Visitors have been urged to stay away from the area, which is managed by Natural England, while the Wildlife Trust has asked dog owners to keep pets on leads until officials confirm the fire is fully extinguished.
Residents living nearby reported that the fire appeared to be spreading considerably on Saturday morning, and have since been warned that shifting winds are carrying smoke further afield than the immediate vicinity of the reserve.
Why is a peat fire so difficult to put out?
Nev Burgess, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service's incident commander, has said that pinpointing the exact location of a peat fire is unusually challenging because it burns beneath the surface rather than across it. He told reporters:
[It's] incredibly difficult [to know the exact location of peat fires] because it burns under the surface and it burns quite fiercely.
He estimated that the fire had taken hold at least one metre, or roughly 3.3ft, below ground level, and warned that such fires typically take far longer to extinguish than surface blazes. He added:
My previous experience is that these do tend to last for days as opposed to hours because of the type of fire that they are and the access we need.
Is the fire linked to a crime?
The original fire on 27 July is being investigated as a suspected arson attack, according to a national broadcaster's report, and Cambridgeshire Police has appealed to anyone with relevant information to come forward. Records from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service also indicate that crews were still present at the reserve as recently as 8 August 2026, according to the service's incident log, suggesting the site has required sustained monitoring even after the flare-up described here.
Why does Holme Fen matter?
Holme Fen covers around 657 acres and is designated a site of special scientific interest, home to some 500 types of fungi, according to local reporting and the national broadcaster's coverage of the incident. Its ecological significance has added to concerns about the damage caused by repeated fires at the site within such a short period.
Is this part of a wider pattern this summer?
Holme Fen is not the only nature site to have suffered major fire damage in recent weeks. A large wildfire spread rapidly across Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, prompting a major incident declaration before later stabilising, while separate major incidents were declared over extensive moorland fires in Derbyshire and, more recently, near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire amid what has been described as the driest July on record. Taken together, the incidents point to a particularly severe wildfire season for the UK's protected landscapes this year.
What happens next?
Firefighters remain focused on containing the blaze in sectors before any assessment of long-term ecological damage can begin. Given the depth at which peat fires typically burn, officials have previously indicated that operations at Holme Fen could continue for days rather than hours, and police inquiries into the suspected arson linked to the earlier fire are ongoing.
Key Facts
- More than 80 firefighters responded to the latest blaze at Holme Fen Nature Reserve near Peterborough, called at 10:24 BST on Saturday.
- It is the second fire at the reserve in under two weeks, following an initial blaze on 27 July tackled by more than 40 firefighters.
- The reserve spans roughly 657 acres, is managed by Natural England, and is home to about 500 species of fungi.
- The earlier fire is being treated as a suspected arson attack, with Cambridgeshire Police appealing for information.
- Several local roads remain closed, including sections of Hod Fen Drove, Holme Lode and Long Drove.
