Fire crews across Suffolk tackled a large 100-meter by 100-meter undergrowth blaze in Santon Downham on July 27, 2026, shortly before responding to a separate significant wildfire near Dunwich Heath on July 29.
Emergency teams from Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Mildenhall, and Brandon were first alerted at 12:45 p. m.
after receiving reports of thick black smoke rising from Marks Lane in Santon Downham.
Upon arrival, firefighters encountered a rapidly burning area of undergrowth and successfully surrounded the flames by 1:24 p.
m.
Crews deployed an extended hose reel jet and manual beaters to contain the wildfire, receiving additional water support from a specialized Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service water carrier dispatched from Newmarket.
Responders reported substantial progress by 1:39 p. m.
while operating two extended hose reel jets, allowing officials to scale back the operation to two fire engines and one water carrier by 2:24 p.
m.
Two days following the Santon Downham incident, emergency responders were called to another major fire near a coastal National Trust site at Dunwich Heath.
Authorities reported that the coastal blaze was spreading rapidly across the dry terrain, requiring additional emergency containment efforts in the area.
