A FIRE at Haldon Forest is thought to have been sparked by sunlight interacting with a discarded bottle.

Firefighters from Middlemoor Fire Station attended the small fire, which was called in to the crew by a person out walking their dog, on Saturday, April 8.

Given the blaze had started in an especially remote area of the forest, the crew were in need of an Argocat ATV unit, which, in this instance, has supplied them by Bovey Tracey Fire Station.

The crew of the ATV used a fogging unit to dampen down the area where the fire had been to ensure no further spread.

Firefighters made access along the paths with the fire engine to assess the fire, and then used their water backpacks to knock it back and finally extinguish it.

A spokesman for Middlemoor Fire Station said: 'The fire area was roughly 120m long by 10m wide and was believed to have been started by sunlight off of a discarded bottle.

'Please pick up your trash and do not litter.'