HUNDREDS of acres of wildlife-rich gorse have been destroyed in series of fires across Cornwall in less than 24 hours.

Nine fires, most of which are thought to have been started deliberately, were reported to Cornwall firefighters in just 16 hours.

The first 999 call came at 10.20am on Monday, reporting a fierce gorse fire near Rough Tor on Bodmin Moor where more than 120 acres of land were ablaze.

The ninth call alerted firefighters from St Austell to a fire at Carloggas Downs, near Stenalees, at 2.30am yesterday.

Further blazes were reported across Cornwall yesterday afternoon and evening. Six hectares of gorse were on fire at Hendra Farm in Mullion shortly after 3pm. Two hours later, a Cornwall Fire Service said it had responded to "several" similar fires in the St Neot and Bodmin areas.

Mark Smith, crew manager for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, said the fires put both the public and firefighters at unnecessary risk.

"Obviously they are tying up resources that could be in demand for other more serious incidents. A lot of the county is covered by retained firefighters so there is also a significant cost to each incident.

"Injuries can also occur because these fires tend to be at night and in accessible areas like the moor and steep valleys."

The fire at Rough Tor, which is believed to have started accidentally, saw two crews from Delabole fighting fires on three fronts.

Arsonists are thought to have started the blaze at Goonhilly Downs, between Mullion and Helston, West Cornwall, which took more than an hour to bring under control.

Firefighters from Mullion, St Keverne and Helston were called shortly before 1am yesterday to tackle the fire which had a 650ft (200m) front. Officers used beaters to fight the blaze and managed to contain it by 1.50am. They stayed at the scene for half an hour to beat down any hot spots. Arson is suspected.

Other gorse fires reported in the 16-hour period were at Mullion Downs, Roche Rock, Demelza, near Roche, and Laneast Downs at Launceston.

Fifty square metres of gorse were also destroyed in a suspicious fire near the A30 at Temple at 10.15pm on Monday.

Another fire, which was not reported as suspicious, at Higher Bochym on The Lizard peninsula saw about 40 hectares of gorse destroyed. There were no reports of injuries.

Fire crews from Tavistock, Yelverton and Plymouth were called to swaling which had got out of control at a farm near Brent Tor at lunchtime yesterday.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said the incidents were being treated seriously but said that the nature of the offences, and their location, made them hard to investigate.

Conservationists were also concerned at the extent of gorse damage at the start of spring. Tony Whitehead, from the RSPB in the South West, said burning gorse could be a "valuable" land management tool but only if done correctly.

"If it burns too deeply, it will affect the structure of the soil and the plants," he warned. "Uncontrolled fire are of obvious concern. The heathland habitats of the South West, from Dorset to Land's End, are not just nationally important, they are globally important."