Why are some people such idiots? That’s the question residents of Borth and visitors to Ynyslas are asking after a smouldering disposable barbecue was left in a rubbish bin at the beach nature reserve.

The bin caught fire and scorched adjacent grass on Saturday afternoon — a blaze that, given the tinder-dry conditions and drought, could have had very dangerous repercussions for the 5,600-acre nature reserve.

There are more than 1,200 static caravans in parks adjacent to the nature reserve, all crowded with summer visitors.

Quick action by an unknown visitor extinguished the fire. Images of the burnt bin and barbecue were later posted on Facebook by Penny Arnold.

She wrote: “It looks like someone has put a single-use barbecue in the bin up at Ynyslas Nature Hub. It must have still been alight, as the bin is ruined and a large section of grass has been burnt. People are stupid. This could have been much worse.”

Following Natural Resources Wales’s closure of its three visitor centres in Wales last year, the Ynyslas centre is now staffed by volunteers from Borth Community Hub.

For months, the hub has been highlighting dangerous situations that might previously have been prevented by the presence of full-time NRW wardens. Since NRW walked away from its responsibilities, volunteers have had to deal with swimmers in trouble, motorised vehicles ploughing up sections of the dunes, and visitors allowing dogs into areas where rare orchids grow or birds are breeding.

But Saturday’s incident was potentially the most dangerous.

Wales is officially in drought, little if any rain is forecast in the immediate future, and fire service and Welsh Government officials have warned people not to light open fires or barbecues and to be mindful of anything with the potential to cause a fire.

Saturday’s near miss shows that message simply isn’t getting through to everyone.