They began their battle, at Ragwen Point near Maros, at 11.05 yesterday morning. Five hours later they thought they had extinguished the fire, but at 4.30pm it re-ignited.

Pembrokeshiretv.com received reports from readers who could see the blaze from Tenby, at 5.40pm last night.

A tender from Whitland joined the two Tenby fire tenders and Land Rover with hose reel jets from Narberth. The fire, which is not being treated as deliberate, was eventually put out just after 11 pm.

“The exceptionally hot and dry weather makes our countryside vulnerable to grassland, gorse and woodland fires,” said Carmarthenshire county commander, Gethin Davies.

“I implore the public to be careful with cigarette ends, matches and barbequeues.

“We have experienced a rise in grass and forestry fires in the past few weeks. Fighting these fires is an arduous exhausting process. Our fire kit is heavy and you get warm very quickly when wearing it.

“With the summer school holidays approaching, from previous experience this period is usually busy for fire crews and control staff in dealing with the increase in grass fires.

“I would strongly urge all parents to make their children aware of the hazards posed by grass fires.

“I would also remind the public that deliberate fire setting is a crime which we are committed to addressing with their support.”.

The cost of dealing with grassland fires is a staggering £2.3 million a year. This is on top of the environmental cost and the risk to lives, properties and livestock that they pose.

Anyone with information about deliberate fire setting can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.