The blazes at Epping Forest district sites were tackled last Tuesday (July 28) by crews from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and London Fire Brigade. The first fire broke out at Bobbingworth Nature Reserve, where a large area was burned, while the second involved the smouldering remains of an illegal camp at Chigwell Row Wood Local Nature Reserve. Countrycare officers responding to the incident in Chigwell Row Wood saw dead wood continuing to ignite as the fire crept through the dry leaf litter on the ground. "And thank you to the London Fire Brigade from Hainault Fire Station for attending the fire at Chigwell Row Wood, twice." The council is urging the public to avoid using barbecues and bonfires at nature reserves, and to properly extinguish and dispose of cigarette butts.