Firefighters continue to battle against two large blazes in Dartford, as they increase resources again this morning.

Dramatic pictures taken yesterday revealed the extent of the devastating fires near Durrell Dene, in Joyce Green and on Dartford Heath near Rochester Way and the A2.

Twelve fire engines were sent to the blaze on Dartford Heath, and crews used hose reel jets and main jets to tackle the blaze, involving areas of undergrowth and trees.

By 8.40pm yesterday, the fire service said the response had been scaled down to four fire engines.

Kent Fire and Rescue service (KFRS) posted an update at 8am, saying: "The fire is ongoing, and crews have worked overnight to prevent fire spread.

"As firefighters continue to tackle the fire today and damp down hotspots, the number of fire service resources at the scene will increase.

"Smoke from the fire is now minimal and drivers shouldn’t expect to see large amounts of smoke drifting across the A2."

Crews also had to tackle a fire in Durrell Dene, which is understood to have broken out near the Spirits Rest Dartford Horse & Animal Sanctuary.

A spokesperson for KFRS said: "Following a night of containing the blaze and maintaining a watching brief, the number of fire engines and resources on scene is now increasing again as firefighters continue to tackle the fire today and damp down hotspots.

"Smoke from the fire is now minimal, and people living and working nearby are no longer advised to keep windows and doors closed.

"KFRS would like to thank local people for their cooperation in following this advice in exceptionally warm conditions."

How it unfolded...

At 11.54am yesterday, nine fire engines and a height vehicle were sent to Durrell Dene, in Joyce Green, after reports of a grass fire.

As well as this, at 12.26pm and 12.35pm, there were reports of both a crop fire in Shirehall Road and a large blaze in Dartford Heath, off the A2.

Twelve fire engines were at the scene in Dartford Heath, and drivers passing said to have seen "clouds of black smoke".

KFRS advised people travelling on the A2 and other nearby roads to take extra care, due to smoke drifting across from the incident.

By 1.16pm, the fire at the crop field in Shirehall Road was safely extinguished, with no casualties reported. The cause is believed to be accidental.

At 2.20pm near Durrell Dene, the blaze was still ongoing. 12 fire engines were in the area at the time as crews are worked to extinguish the fire. The technical rescue unit was also in attendance.

A spokesperson for KFRS said: "Thank you to everyone who has called to make us aware of the incident."

Twelve fire engines increased to 18 by 4.10pm in Durrell Dene, as crews used a fogging unit, two all-terrain vehicles and a bulk water carrier to bring the fire under control and extinguish the flames.

Members of KFRS’ volunteer response team were on-hand to provide welfare and support to nearby residents.

Over at the Dartford Heath fire, KFRS posted an update at 8.19pm saying that "good progress" was being made to tackle the blaze.

The incident had been scaled down to just four fire engines and firefighters put together a plan to prevent the fire spreading overnight.

Durrell Dene fire was still ongoing at around 9pm and was reduced to six fire engines overnight.

Matt Deadman, assistant director of KFRS commented: "Firefighters are working incredibly hard in extremely punishing conditions, to limit the spread of these wildfires.

"We have got a plan going into place for the remainder of the week, to make sure we have enough resources to meet any of the challenges that the weather may continue to present us as we go forward.

"We managed to prevent the spread of fire from the heathland to surrounding properties, through putting in place a large number of resources.

"One time we had 150 firefighters and 30 fire engines on scene, working hard to make sure the public remained safe."

MP for Dartford, Gareth Johnson, posted a statement on Facebook, saying: "We’d all been dreading something like this happening. The ground is so dry that it was not going to take much for a large fire to occur.

"I have been given regular updates from Kent Fire and Rescue Service and it is not unfair to say that they faced a perilous situation which was declared a major incident and threatened a large part of Dartford.

"They literally threw everything they had at these fires and despite incurring heat exhaustion and injuries themselves, they managed ultimately, to bring the fire under control.

"This fire was so serious that it genuinely threatened the area and was a close run thing. We owe them all a huge debt of gratitude.

"We have all been shocked at the video of the fire by the A2 and the fire by the horse sanctuary near the bridge was also awful.

"Thankfully, it seems that we have avoided serious injuries or anyone losing their home. The threat of more fires hasn’t passed but today could have been a lot, lot worse and only the actions of Kent Fire Service stopped this from happening."