Fire in the hills under investigation

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Some of you may have seen and been alarmed by billows of smoke and fire in the air on the eastern side of the island on Tuesday.
 
Some of you might have been affected by the smoke.
 
OBSERVER media looked into it and we now know exactly what it was.
 
Firemen say it was a huge bush fire which they spent over seven hours battling. The wind fanned the flames and pushed smoke into nearby homes, affecting some residents.
 
The fire started in the hills near Swetes village and spread all the way to the hills west of Liberta.
 
Fire Chief Elvis Weaver says the All Saints Fire Department got the call about the blaze shortly after 1:30 Tuesday afternoon.
 
He says two teams were dispatched, one in a fire truck and the other in a pickup that belongs to the department.
 
The fire official says due to the nature of the fire, beaters were used to put out the flanes that had spread far and wide across the dry bushy landscape.
 
Weaver says a probe is underway to determine what caused the fire which had the attention of firemen up to late Tuesday night to prevent it spreading towards homes.
 
The fire was extinguished, but overhead images show it has left a huge burnt out area behind.
 
Weaver says it has not yet been determined whether the lands were privately owned or belonged to the government.
 
Fires are not uncommon in those areas and on most occasions they’re due to prolonged dry, warm weather, while at times they’re caused by people who light fires to burn rubbish but fail to keep them under control. 
 
No one was injured in the fire, Weaver says.
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