Tetchy argument ensues as Havant firefighter challenges man for having bonfire in his Hayling Island garden during a heatwave that 'panicked' residents

A Havant based crew responded to several calls about the blaze at 6.30am this morning.

When asked to extinguish the back garden bonfire – burning green waste – the man in his 60s became agitated and refused to do so.

Crew manager Jason Haste, of Havant Fire Station, told The News: ‘It was in someone’s back garden on the seafront.

‘I warned him about the extreme heat that is going on at the moment, and he pushed back a bit.’

The exchange happened at a property on the seafront road.

An amber weather warning for ‘extreme heat’ is currently in place.

A spokesman for Hampshire and Isle Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) reported the number of open blazes has over quadrupled from last year, rising from 150 in July 2021 to 679 in July 2022.

Mr Haste said some residents were ‘panicked’ by the bonfire, but it was eventually extinguished.

He added that people need to be aware of conditions around them.

SEE ALSO: Hampshire firefighters called to tackle blazes across county as heat bites

‘I said to the man that all it takes is an ember to go off the fire, onto the gorse land, and then its game over, not only for the land and the animals that live in it, but for the people who walk on it everyday,’ He said.

‘His argument was that he’s been around longer than myself.

‘Eventually he agreed to put the fire out, and was apologetic in the end.

‘At the moment, a bonfire is not a good idea. Take your green waste to a tip, instead of burning it.’