Local people have described being disturbed during the night, with one resident believing an entire mountainside was ablaze, as significant blazes continue to burn across the South Wales region.

Firefighters remain engaged with a large-scale countryside fire in Blaenavon, which has consumed approximately 80 hectares and produced smoke visible as far away as Cardiff and Caerphilly.

The emergency services received the first call at 8.42pm on Sunday July 19, with crews battling through the night to get the flames under control.

Six fire engines and a water tanker are still present at the location this morning.

Communities throughout Gwent have suffered from the thick smoke drifting through the area.

Pam from Pontypool described being roused from sleep at around 1.30am when a strong odour of burning wafted through her open bedroom windows.

She ventured outside where the smell was so potent that she promptly shut every window in her home.

In Abersychan, householders have spoken of waking to find their entire valley shrouded in smoke this morning.

Gareth Edwards, a Caerphilly resident, told a local newspaper he rose at 5am after detecting a smoky scent and initially suspected the hillside itself was burning.

Rachael Cooper, also from Caerphilly, reported that her windows remained tightly shut and her husband had set off in the car at 6am to check whether a fire might be burning closer to home.

Solomon Wilson from Abertridwr woke to discover his entire valley blanketed in smoke, describing the scene as resembling an apocalypse and noting the nauseating odour.

Samantha Green, who resides close to the woodland and hillside above Blaenavon, expressed fear about what might happen should the wind shift direction today.

Six fire appliances and a support tanker continue working at the site this morning, with additional support from specialist countryside fire officers.

A spokesperson for the fire service explained the fire spans roughly 80 hectares of mixed bracken and gorse terrain.

Firefighters have encountered difficult working conditions because of the landscape, limited access routes and wind strength.

An overnight change in wind direction caused smoke from the incident to affect a wide stretch of South Wales, extending as far as Caerphilly and Cardiff.

The service is urging anyone experiencing smoke problems to keep windows and doors closed.

While receiving numerous calls about the smoke, the service has assured local communities they are fully aware of the situation and actively managing the incident.

Members of the public are being asked to avoid the area to enable the emergency response to proceed effectively.