FIREFIGHTERS in Wellington have had their first call out of 2026 - just 30 minutes into New Year’s Day.

Both pumps from the Wellington station were mobilised to an incident at 12.30 am on Thursday (January 1).

It follows a busy 2025 when the town’s firefighters were called out on average more than once a day throughout the year.

They attended a total of 461 incidents during 2025, and responded to 36 alerts in December alone.

Five of the station’s crew spent most of Christmas Day on the edge of Exmoor fighting one of a series of gorse fires on West Anstey Common which had been started by an arsonist.

A spokesperson said: “Not something you expect to be doing in the winter.

“The weather was extremely cold and the views were incredible.”

Police are now hunting the Exmoor pyromaniac after six wildfires in the same area between Christmas and New Year’s Eve were attributed to arson.

The December list of calls for the Wellington crews included 14 fires, one incident on railway lines, four car crashes, and one gas leak.

On just one evening in early December, both pumps were called to four separate and varied incidents.

The spokesperson said: “A busy year for Wellington, demonstrating the resilience and commitment to our community.

“From all of us at Station 70 we wish you all the best for 2026.”