Location: St Helens
Merseyside Fire & Rescue is currently in attendance at an incident in Sutton Leach, St. Helens.
Crews were alerted at 2.37pm and arrived on scene eight minutes later. Seven fire engines are currently on scene.
On arrival, crews found a section of grassland with several pockets on fire. The incident was sectorised, with three sectors focused on boundary cooling to protect buildings and properties in the vicinity.
The Service drone was deployed for situational awareness.
This incident is ongoing, please avoid the area. Residents nearby should keep doors and windows closed. Anyone with existing health conditions should keep medicines close and if any ill effects are experienced, dial NHS 111 for advice.
Incident update 14th August 2026:
Crews secured a hydrant feed and used extended hose reels to fight the fire and protect an adjacent timber yard. The area involved in fire was 300 metres by 200 metres at the height of the fire.
Firefighters used a combination of ground monitors (a fixed support frame for a hose enabling constant flow of water to an area) and high pressure hose reels as the incident was divided into sectors.
Firefighters worked hard to keep boundaries cool to avoid fire spread to surrounding properties and the service drone was deployed to gain greater situational awareness from height.
The main body of fire was extinguished by around 5.20pm and the drone was utilised to check for hot spots so firefighters could ensure they were fully extinguished.
The incident was scaled down at around 7.00pm with two fire engines remaining on scene, continuing to check for hot spots. A final survey of the area was made before crews left the scene at 8.27pm.