To report neighbour for having a large open bonfire

[Squirrelsnut]

I'm staying with family in a very rural area. It's extremely dry and warm, surrounded by tinder-dry fields and woods. The neighbour has lit a big bonfire in a smallish orchard area, quite close to our house! The fire is near the hedge and seems quite large.
Should I report it to the non-emergency number, or is that busybodiness?

For all we know, they're taking every precaution and not being stupid at all.

OK, so DH caught him as he was leaving the bonfire and getting into his car 🙄🙄 . He went back to put some water on it...
Baffling.

Is there a garden hose you can reach it with?
I'd be very tempted just to put it out myself, or at least wet the ground/growth between the fire and the property you're on.
Whilst also phoning the fire brigade to report and get advice.

Having a bonfire when it's this hot and dry is really irresponsible imo. I'm not surprised your MIL is concerned.

I'm also intrigued by references upthread to the "non-emergency number". The fire brigade here doesn't have a non-emergency number, only the switchboard number for the fire service HQ, which will be closed in 5 minutes.

Dickhead. Entitled dickhead

He was going out and leaving it?
That's just beyond irresponsible. Report the fucker.

If they were taking every precaution and not being stupid at all they wouldn’t be having a bonfire during a drought in the first place !!

Phone 999 and say you’ve seen a lot of smoke coming from the orchard area at street name.
I cannot believe how stupid some people are. They need the emergency services to tell them how dangerous this is, not least as they’re dumb enough to leave it unattended.

We had a little fire in the garden a couple of weeks ago, we waited until 1130pm until it was a bit cooler, and we have a fire pit. 3 strapping fireman came in the back gate and scared the shit out of us - someone had called 999.

It’s not a neighbour dispute, it’s not because there is a smell of smoke, it’s not because she has her laundry out. It’s because it’s in an area that’s very dry and could go up and take her home and life with it. It’s dangerous and stupid.

He was leaving the bonfire?

Okay, that I even I would've reported to 999!

Is it completely out now?

Can’t you put them on the bonfire?

What was it for though? Why did you want to fire? It's not winter. I understand a lovely garden fire pit when it's cold outside but not now.

Yikes OP. Glad it's sorted. I would do what you can to properly douse the area of the fire, for peace of mind.

To poster with fire pit, polite Q - do you realise that in summer people are probably counting down the hours till it cools down enough to open windows before they go to bed? And that, given the apocalyptic scenes on our screens, lots of people are going to be quite anxious at the smell of smoke, knowing it only takes one rogue spark for things to flare when everything is parched like this...

Some neighbours of mine once had a large bonfire close to the fence. I called 999 and the police came round and told them to put it out. It wasn’t even in a drought and the risk for fire at them moment is so high.

It's not misusing emergency services at all and this type of comment puts people in danger by being scared to call. You do realise that there is a person on the end of the phone who you speak to that makes a decision about whether or not they need to send services out?

You're never going to be able to have a reasonable conversation with someone that thinks it's acceptable to put a match to any kind of material outside in this dry weather.
You really can't reason with the stupid.

It really is a shame that we've had to become so worried about upsetting those that are such inconsiderate arseholes and that said arseholes would never even consider themselves to be in the wrong.

We once lived in a area that had allotments behind our house and the amount of people that would get a fire roaring then sod off home was unreal.

Didn't even hang around to get a lung full of stench, just left it for those that lived there to put up with.

As a group we'd go and pile their freshly dug soil ontop of it to put it out.

What non-emergency number do plan to call? Is the neighbour a permenant resident that understands their area?

Quite

Every area has a nonemergency number for the fire brigade. You know like if you need them to check smoke alarms and stuff.

Because it was 11.30. who lights fires at 11.30pm?

Report the fucker for a) lighting a bonfire and b) leaving it!!!!!

What a piece of shit.

Don't you think it is stupid to have a bonfire in a tinder dry field? I have seen the drone footage, and it is clear that the person who started the fire is an idiot.

There has been loads of advice in the media about not having bonfires.

I suggest that given the last few summers there need to be bonfire nans with a trip to court if you break them and legally enforced requirements to remove potentially hazardous material.