Deep seated / Wildland fires

Jun 30, 2022 | Operational Incidents

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue are using Cobra to tackle peat fires. A service can spend days trying to locate and extinguish the deep seated hotspots which cause moorland/peat fire to keep reappearing.

Here, the Incident Commander (IC) is using a Thermal Imagine Camera (TIC) to locate the heat and then Cobra is injected into the ground. It has been very effective in reducing the temperature from 272 C to 36 C. Cobra hose is easy to manoeuvre over ground as it is light weight and can be extended to over 300 m with minor loss of performance. The penetrative effects of Cobra are easily sufficient to permeate through the soil as well as directly down into it. Lincolnshire have their Cobra units permanently installed in their standard fleet of Type B appliances with new units being delivered this year from Angloco (2020).

The Cobra has been proven to penetrate peat to over 220 cm (7ft) down in 30 seconds.

  • Reduce potential for fires to restart
  • Penetrate to up to 2 m in peat
  • Access fire at a distance from the vehicle >240 m
  • 4 x 4 and 6 x 6 vehicles can use the Skid Mounted Cobra unit
  • Water use is very low i.e. 30 to 60 lpm
  • Long reach, effective spray pattern >15 m

Denny fire station in Scotland were called to a fire which had spread into the ground. Crews had tried to extinguish the fire using low pressure hose for over 12 hours without success. By using the Cobra they were able to penetrate much deeper and the incident was over within a few hours of arrival.

  • Reduce potential for fires to restart
  • Penetrate to up to 2 m in peat
  • Access fire at a distance from the vehicle > 240 m
  • 4×4 and 6×6 vehicles can use the Skid Mounted Cobra unit
  • Water use is very low i.e. 30 to 60 lpm
  • Long reach, effective spray pattern > 15 m
  • Lightweight hose which is easy to work with