(Reuters) – The Rose Ladies Series Grand Final was suspended on Friday when a wildfire broke out at Chobham Common in Surrey and spread towards the Wentworth club in Surrey.
The Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said 10 fire engines and other emergency vehicles were dispatched to the tend to the fire as golfers, caddies and staff were forced to evacuate the area with smoke from the fire engulfing the course.
“As we were playing the ninth, we could see the smoke in the distance but it seemed to get closer pretty quickly,” Felicity Johnson told Sky Sports. “We were waiting on the ninth green to see what was happening and then (there were) some flames.
“You could hear it… It’s pretty scary when you suddenly see flames and then hear them. We all know how fast fire can travel… We just had to stay at a safe distance and hope it could be brought under control.”
The tournament has no crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic and organisers said play would resume on Saturday morning from the same positions.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
