Fire crews worked for four hours to stop a peat blaze at a Fen nature reserve from spreading.

Cambs fire service was called to tackle the blaze at Holme Fen Nature Reserve, Holme, near Yaxley yesterday.

When fire fighters from Stanground attended they found a peat fire about 30m by 30m in size.

The crew worked around the fire in an attempt to stop it spreading; they returned today to check it.

A fire service spokesman said their officers had met on site today with managers from Natural England.

Station commander Mick Jackman said: “This is a large woodland site and the peat fire is currently about 30m by 30m and measures up to 3m deep in some places.

“The roots of about 20 birch trees have burnt away and they have collapsed and about four or five other trees are also caught up in the smouldering fire.

“We’re working with Natural England now to clear a path to enable easier access. We’ve deployed our specialist high volume pump and hose layer to the scene and have set up equipment to pump a large amount of water from a nearby lake onto the fire. “We will also use hose reels and peat branches.

“The problem with peat is that it takes a very long time to put it out, and even with the rain that we’ve had, it may still take a while to extinguish.”

Cause of the fire is unknown.