POLICE say arson could be the cause of a fire which ravaged part of a newly-created forest garden on Fox’s Field, next to Tonedale Mill, Wellington, on Friday (July 29).

The fire, which several passers-by spotted at about 8 pm, appeared to have broken out in two separate areas, causing fire crews to suspect it had not started accidentally.

Residents in nearby Millstream Gardens were experiencing anti-social behaviour by a group of about 10 to 15 youths at around the same time of the evening.

Police, who said they were only alerted to the disturbances on Saturday, said there could be a connection with the fire in Fox’s Field because it was only a short distance away.

Sgt Dan Bishop said: “This is possibly connected to a fire that was deliberately ignited nearby causing significant damage to the community garden and grass/shrub areas on Foxes Field.

“We will be carrying out increased patrols and we appeal to residents who witness anti-social behaviour of any kind in this area, or in any other area across Wellington and further afield, to help us to tackle the issue by calling 101 to report ongoing incidents.”

Part of Fox’s Field, which had been mulched with hay in preparation for planting a herb area, was smouldering and sometimes in flames, and another patch was smouldering nearby when emergency services arrived.

About a dozen members of Transition Town Wellington (TTW), which manages the area, were on site within 10 minutes of the alert going out and worked with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue crews to dowse the flames and beat down the smouldering patches, saving many of the trees and bushes.

TTW volunteers used buckets and watering cans to fetch water from a nearby stream to help stop the fire spreading.

Many of them were responsible for designing and creating the forest garden, with active and dedicated support from many members of the local community, and had planted the first trees just seven months ago.

Fire officer Andy Troake said: “It is such a sad sight after all the hard work and care that everyone has put into making this place.”

Mr Troake said it was unlikely the blaze was accidental, or that it was a case of the grass spontaneously combusting, because the fire had taken hold in ‘two distinct areas’.

TTW’s Helen Gillingham said: “In rare cases, grass that is stacked loosely while still slightly damp and in large piles has been known to catch fire due to the heat generated by composting.

“That was not the case here, where it was well spread out as we are using it as a mulch around the trees.”

Adrian Rose, a regular member of the community gardening team working on the site, said: “Even though this was relatively small and could have been much worse, it took a long time to completely put out.

“With all the wildfires in Europe and across the world this summer it really brings it home how devastating fires like this can be.

“And with the temperatures going up every year, it looks like it is something we are going to have to learn to live with.”

Police have been alerted to the incident and TTW is now looking at ways to minimise the risk of such happenings in the future, and also to replace the trees and plants which were lost to the flames.

TTW chairman Anita Roy said people should be extra vigilant when out walking, especially while the current hot, dry spell lasted.

She said canisters of water had now been placed around the forest garden area in case fires were spotted so they could be dealt with quickly and safely.