A surge in heat and persistent high winds is set to accelerate the spread and intensity of grass fires across the island, placing mounting pressure on firefighters and increasing risks to homes, livestock and public health, the fire chief has warned.

Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard on Monday cautioned that as the days get warmer, the intensity of heat from a blaze will rise while the current high winds will cause any grass or rubbish fires to spread faster and wider.

Although the fire service has moved to ease the increasing challenges of the heatwave to firefighters, he made an impassioned appeal to Barbadians to stop burning any type of rubbish at this time.