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Recent fires at Holt Heath, just north of Wimborne, needed crews from across the country to attend to deal with. The fires, believed to have been started deliberately, have now burnt an estimated 72 hectares (177 acres) of land. According to government figures, The number of firefighters has fallen by 28 percent in the last 20 years, whilst the number of fires has fallen by around 40% in the same time. Val Hampshire, the FBU's Executive council member for the South West spoke to Alun Newman about funding for the fire service. The government says "Increasing wildfires present a real risk to people, which is why we are taking action to ensure fire services and national bodies can manage and respond to risks. This includes funding a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to make sure we can protect communities, alongside giving Fire and Rescue Authorities almost £3 billion in the last financial year to help tackle wildfires - and we will continue to ensure services have the resources they need."