Firefighters say a major blaze at Holme Fen Nature Reserve near Peterborough is "surrounded"
A fire commander says trees are falling "in and around" the crews
A helicopter is dropping water on the burning peatland
The wildfire broke out on Saturday morning and is the second at the reserve in a fortnight
People living nearby describe the "devastating" impact on the countryside
Vicky Best, the fire service's incident commander, says crews are planning to stay at Holme Fen for "at least" the rest of the week.
People living nearby are still being asked to avoid the area and to keep windows and doors closed.
We are ending our live coverage, but you can read the latest updates on the BBC News website.
Firefighters say a major blaze at Holme Fen Nature Reserve is now "surrounded"
Swales added that the region had seen "a hugely prolonged period of hot weather and dry conditions".
"Go and enjoy the summer but please be sensible, please consider - it is the perfect conditions for fire."
He said there was a continuing need for on-call firefighters, who were "vital".
Wayne Swales, an assistant director at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, has also called the incident "challenging".
Speaking to Louise Hulland on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, he added: "We are currently accessing national support as well, so we are looking at some services as far as Merseyside to come and support us.
"We currently have 16 fire appliances there, so around 85 firefighters."
Image source, Tom Jackson/BBCThe incident commander added that helicopters had been collecting water from Crown Lakes, in Farcet, and dropping it on parts of the fire that were difficult for firefighters to reach safely.
Vicky Best said peat fires can burn deep underground and re-emerge elsewhere, meaning crews were focused on thoroughly soaking the ground.
"It's dropping the water in the most difficult-to-access areas of the fire, where it's really difficult for us to deploy crews because of the risks of the trees and the voids in the ground," Best added.
Incident commander Vicky Best said: "It's a very difficult incident, the access is difficult, a lot of equipment's having to be carried to the scenes of the fire. We're unable to take vehicles down, so it's very challenging.
"They [firefighters] are working in the heat in peat fires that also burn very hot, with trees falling down, posing a health and safety risk to the crews.
"We're already planning to be here for at least the rest of the week to bring the fire under control. It may be longer."
Best said the fire service was concerned the wind direction would change and the blaze would "impact" the East Coast Main Line.
She said crews were "working with Network Rail".
"We'd really ask the public to just keep out of the area at the moment and allow us to do our jobs."
Fourteen fire engines remain at Holme Fen
Image source, John Devine/BBCHolme Fen is run by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
It says peatland fires can be hard to detect and hard to put out.
They can spread undetected as they may not produce obvious flames or much smoke.
Peat is formed over millions of years from an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter.
The trust has reminded anyone visiting its sites that BBQs, campfires and camping are not allowed. It has also urged visitors not smoke.
Image source, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
John Devine
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
I have been in Holme since lunchtime, and as I was heading to the area I could smell burnt wood.
As I approached, about 10 miles (16km) from the scene, I could see the thick smoke in the air.
There are about 14 appliances tackling the fire at the nature reserve. Speaking to firefighters, they say they could be here for about a week.
Image source, Tom Jackson/BBCTom Martin is one of the farmers helping fire crews.
He said the response had been "tremendous" and "well-organised" and he described how quickly farmers had mobilised.
"Yesterday, they were worried about running out of water and so within half an hour, there were bowsers turning up, there were sprayers filled with water, farmers laying irrigation pipes as well - so really coming out in force to save this amazing bit of woodland," he said.
Martin said farmers went back on Sunday evening after a call for machinery to help create fire breaks.
He said changing wind conditions meant efforts were focused on protecting nearby homes and the railway's East Coast Main Line.
"We could see fire starting up again, kind of spontaneously, flames rising up and being put out as this kind of really dry peat, these old trees, were setting back on fire. And as we were cutting a break, we could smell the smoke," he added.
"We could see just people working phenomenally hard.
"We were hearing from the response team back in Holme village, who were providing food and drink, that there were starving, really thirsty firemen and women, health workers, and all kinds of different people up there in need.
"It was pretty controlled, and well-organised."
A helicopter has dropped water on the burning peatland to help the firefighters tackling the burning landscape.
Anthony Gould, of the Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, says getting water to the incident "was really difficult".
"We had to get water from a man-made stream using a pump and then [used] several light portable pumps to transport that water from one place to another."
Image source, Jamie Niblock/BBC
Image source, Mousumi Bakshi/BBC
People living in Newborough, Yaxley, Farcet, Fenstanton, Huntingdon and St Ives say they can see and smell the smoke from the Holme Fen fire, burning since Saturday morning.
Firefighters from across the East of England are fighting the peatland flames.
Crews from Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Northampton, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex have been at the nature reserve.
Some have not long finished tackling the major incident at Dunwich Heath, where heathland went up in flames on 29 July.
Here are some more pictures showing the scale of the operation at Holme Fen.
Image source, Mousumi Bakshi/BBC
Image source, Mousumi Bakshi/BBC
Image source, Mousumi Bakshi/BBCFire service area commander Simon Thompson says falling trees are making it difficult for the crews.
Thompson says the risk of the fire spreading remains "significant".
"We have had to change our tactics, which has delayed us," he adds.
"We have experienced trees falling in and around them [the firefighters].
"So we have tried to bring our firefighters to a point of safety."
Three crates of apples and several containers of energy drinks have been dropped off by an anonymous villager from Holme.
Image source, Tom Jackson/BBCThe Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade (PVFB), the only operational brigade of its type in the country, is at the wildfire at Holme Fen.
The charity's 10 on-call firefighters' full-time jobs include a mechanic, an IT manager and a carpenter.
PVFB chief Anthony Gould said the volunteers had been called to Holme Fen late on Saturday to monitor the wildfire.
"Their willingness to give up their time, their sleep and time with their families to protect their communities is something that deserves enormous recognition," he added.
"A massive 'thank you' to every firefighter who has turned out during this spell of dry weather.
"The demand has been immense, and your continued commitment has been nothing short of outstanding."
Image source, PA MediaWith drought conditions gripping most of England, wildfires have been breaking out.
Dunwich Heath, a National Trust site in Suffolk, was devastated by a wildfire that began on 29 July. It is still being treated as major incident.
The Rapid Relief Team, currently at Holme Fen, was also supporting the emergency services at Dunwich Heath.
In Norfolk, firefighters have also been called to a spate of incidents, including at Shouldham Wood, near King's Lynn.
In Essex, Middlewick Ranges, near Colchester, owned by the Ministry of Defence, suffered two fires in two days.
The fire at Holme Fen is the second in two weeks.
More than 40 firefighters were called there on 27 July. The crews shared this footage of the aftermath of the first blaze.
Firefighters stand down from 'deliberate' Holme Fen blaze
The emergency services, farmers and the local community have all been thanked for their help.
The Great Fen is an expanse of nationally significant fen landscape between Peterborough and Huntingdon. It includes two nature reserves, including Holme Fen.
The organisations that run it have thanked "everyone for their incredible effort to bring the blaze under control".
In a post on Facebook, external, Great Fen added there had also been an "amazing response from the local farming community".
The Rapid Relief Team, which supports the emergency services and communities at major incidents, continues to supply water and refreshments to firefighters.
Its tents are stocked with supplies.
The Labour MP for North West Cambridgeshire, Sam Carling, has thanked the fire crews.
He said: “It’s incredibly sad to see another serious fire at Holme Fen, which is such a special part of our local environment.
"I’m hugely grateful to the firefighters who have been working in extremely difficult conditions to bring the fire under control, as well as the local farmers who have stepped in to support their efforts.
"I know many residents will be concerned about the damage being caused, and I’d urge everyone to continue following the advice of the emergency services and avoid the area while their work continues.
"With the continued hot and dry weather leaving our countryside particularly vulnerable, we all need to take extra care and do what we can to reduce the risk of further fires.”
