More than 270,000 litres of water and more than 50 personnel battled the fire on Little Sark. Firefighters continued to dampen down the area over the weekend.
Sark’s chief fire officer Kevin Adams said the 999 call was made about a fire on the cliff at the Silver Mines at Port Gorey at about 11am.
He declared it a major incident at about 1pm. It is the first time a major incident has ever been called by Sark Fire & Rescue Service since its inception in 1958.
Mr Adams said they were dealing with two separate fires which had to be fought from six different venues.
‘A field approximately the size of a football pitch was scorched over in approximately one minute.
‘We managed to stop the flames from reaching two private dwellings. Excavators have been involved by cutting fire breaks through the gorse.’
He thanked all of the Guernsey services who helped in the incident, along with volunteers in Sark who helped tackle the fire and supplied fire crews with food and water.
Five Guernsey firefighters were injured in an incident en route to the fire and were transferred by Flying Christine III to hospital in Guernsey for treatment.
In a post on social media, Island Deliveries in Sark confirmed that it was its tractor and trailer involved in the incident.
It said the police were investigating and asked people to refrain from speculation.
Sark Police also extended its thanks to the emergency services, volunteers and members of the public.
‘This was a powerful reminder of the strength, compassion and resilience that exists across our island,’ it said.
‘We are incredibly grateful to everyone who played a part in supporting those affected and helping our emergency services.
‘Thank you all for pulling together when it mattered most.’
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