Firefighters extinguish fourth moorland blaze

Firefighters have extinguished the fourth wildfire to break out on Marsden Moor in three days.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said on Thursday that crews had dealt with the blaze at Blackstone Edge, which had broken out the previous day.

Two fire engines and specialist moorland units were sent to the fire which had progressed in the direction of Green Withens reservoir, the fire service said.

It followed a second blaze in the Marsden Clough area on Wednesday which was extinguished the same day.

On Tuesday, firefighters were called to tackle blazes at Deer Hill and Five Mile Post, near Huddersfield.

Both were declared over at about 16:00 BST on Wednesday, with a final inspection due to be carried out on Thursday.

Chris Bell, assistant district commander for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said Tuesday's fire had been stopped from reaching the Greater Manchester area.

"When people do come to a moorland site, just remember there should be no open fires," Bell added.

"We shouldn't be having any barbecues and people should be really careful with any naked flames and cigarettes, because they can spread rapidly and impact everybody."

Although the ground underneath was wet, the dry grass on top meant the fire had taken hold quickly, he explained.

Marsden Moor has been affected by several other fires in recent years.

In March, crews from Huddersfield, Slaithwaite and Holmfirth tackled a wildfire on the moor which stretched across more than 1,300 sq ft (400 sq m).

Last year, emergency crews were called to an area close to Cupwith Reservoir which was on fire.

In May 2024, emergency services attended a 1,000ft (300m) long wildfire which started at Blakeley reservoir.

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