A DISPOSABLE barbecue ignited a gorse bush fire on Dartmoor this past weekend.

Crew from Buckfastleigh Fire Station were called to Top Tor at around 5.45pm.

The station said members of the public witnessed a van drive away having dumped the barbecue into the gorse, which rapidly ignited.

Fortunately, the wind was not blowing in the opposite direction, which could have had ‘serious consequences’, Buckfastleigh Fire Station said.

The crew used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire, before utilising a thermal imaging camera to ensure there were no hot-spots.

The disposable BBQ was then removed and discarded.

A spokesperson for the station said: ‘Its forecast to be nice weather in the next few days so many of us will be heading out into the beautiful area in which we live but maybe take a nice picnic and leave the BBQ at home’.