Animals likely killed in 'mindless' fire

A nature reserve's bosses have condemned the "mindless destruction" of its site in a fire - which they say will have killed some animals.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) said about a quarter of Rosenannon Downs' 275-acre site, near St Columb, was scorched in a blaze which firefighters tackled on Thursday.

It said while a herd of seven Shetland ponies who live on the reserve had been able to escape, other animals such as adders, field mice and ground-nesting birds would have died.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the incident was being treated as a possible arson attack.

CWT said it would inspect the damage caused to the land before it formed plans on how best to restore the habitats.

Andy Collins, Cornwall Wildlife Trust's mid-Cornwall reserve manager, said: "This arson attack is nothing but the mindless destruction of nature.

"Those responsible have shown no regard for the wildlife for whom the site is home, the local environment, or the wellbeing of our ponies, whose lives were placed at risk."

Cornwall Fire Service said it was called out to the incident at about 19:30 GMT.

It said the blaze at one point had a front more than 1km (0.62 miles) in length and seven fire engines and four Land Rovers were in attendance.

An update from firefighters just after 23:00 GMT said the flames had been extinguished.

People living in nearby towns and villages including Newquay and Wadebridge said they were able to see flames from the fire.

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