FIREFIGHTERS have stated a fire at a picturesque Site of Special Scientific Interest was accidental.
Eight crews attended Tollesbury Wick Marshes on Wednesday after 12 acres of grass and woodland caught fire.
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The blaze was extinguished by 7.30pm but crews remained at the scene dampening down in the evening before returning on Thursday morning.
Firefighters tackling the incident believe it was accidentally caused at about 10.30am when a vehicle cutting grass near Old Hall Road caught alight.
The fire service initially sent crews from Colchester and West Mersea but, due to the high number of calls it was receiving, further pumps were also sent.
Work is now ongoing with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which runs the site, to help assess the damage.
Station manager Dan Kirk said: "Thanks to the efforts of crews, we have managed to stop the fire from spreading to the ancient grazing marsh".
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