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Firefighters tackling ongoing wildfire on Dartmoor

Zhara Simpson
BBC News, South West
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service An ariel shot taken from a helicopter of the moorland fire. A large section at the centre of the moor is black, with an orange ring around the outside. There is smoke bellowing from the burnt area.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the fire, which started on Sunday, was ongoing

Firefighters are still battling a large wildfire on Dartmoor that started on Sunday evening.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze had spread across an area 3km (1.9 miles) by 1.4km (0.9 miles) and on crews from 13 stations had been deployed to the Dartmoor Forest area near Cut Hill.

Wildlife support officers and a police helicopter were also deployed, which confirmed there were no concerns about injuries or missing people.

On Monday the fire service asked people to avoid the area and advised anyone whose property was affected by the smoke to close their windows.

An area of Dartmoor which has been burnt. There are black areas of the green/yellow land to the left of the image. There are vehicles parked on the right. There are clouds in the sky.
More appliances have been mobilised to provide further relief on Monday morning

At about 10:45 BST, a spokesperson for the fire service asked people to avoid the Merrivale and the Okehampton range areas.

They said: "If you are heading up the moor because with the changeable weather, the fire might behave unpredictably.

"We are monitoring it and we are still attempting to extinguish it."

There are currently 10 appliances at the scene, most of which are "special fire appliances for moorland firefighting", the spokesperson said.

The fire service said the cause was currently "unknown".

Simon Lee wearing a black fleece with the words 'Dartmoor National Park' on the left. He is looking at the camera. There is a parked car behind him to the right and the moorland behind him.
Simon Lee said there was "significant damage" to the moorland

Head Ranger at Dartmoor National Park Simon Lee said there was "significant damage" and there was concern around wildlife and the fabric of the moor.

He said with it being a Bank Holiday weekend, they are advising people to leave this section of the moor alone, and not be tempted to "have a look".

"Let us and the emergency services do their work and not to light BBQs or fires while Dartmoor is vulnerable due to the ongoing dry weather," said Mr Lee.

The fire started at about 14:30 on Sunday and has been "burning all night", he said.

"We are hoping we can put it out in daylight today," said Mr Lee.

A red and yellow fire vehicle at the centre of the image with a long trailer. In the distance is green/yellow land, and to the left in the distance is a burnt area.
The majority of the firefighting appliances in use on Monday are specialist moorland firefighting vehicles

He said they were unable to get four-wheeled vehicles to access the fire, and they were using quadbikes and argocats, but even then, it was "quite a struggle".

Mr Lee said a police helicopter on Sunday evening advised people camping and visiting to "move on".

"Sometimes the wind can help if it is backburning, but fire is burning into the wind rather than with it," he said.

"Because of the locality and the amount of fuel out there, it is quite challenging."

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