A FIRE in East Dorset in an area of trees and heath was likely caused by a "camp fire or barbecue".

Crews rushed to the blaze in the open at The Chase in Verwood shortly after 4.38pm on Wednesday.

Firefighters tackled a "large fire" around 50 metres by 50 metres, with fire engines from Ringwood, Fordingbridge and Verwood called to the scene.

A spokesperson for Verwood Fire Station said: "The fire was extinguished using two main lines and one hose reel jet. It looks like a camp fire or barbecue was the cause."

The fire station highlighted that the county is currently at fire risk level "extreme" for the next few days, with crews still at the scene of the Wareham Forest fire, which started on May 18.