More than three weeks after ignition, and two days after military deployment to the area, emergency responders expressed hope that the massive wildfire burning on hillsides above the Ebbw valley village of Blaenavon was finally coming under control.
Emergency workers and soldiers described the effort as a gruelling battle against a deep-seated peat fire that has spread across 4,000 hectares. The blaze has put lives, farmland and property at risk in the region.
The combined efforts of emergency services and military personnel were showing signs of progress, though concerns remained about the fire's future trajectory.