Crews tackle moorland blaze for third day

A large moorland fire in West Yorkshire has continued to burn for a third consecutive day.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews were working hard to tackle the blaze off Wessendenhead Road in Meltham “despite the hot and arduous conditions”.

Crews were first called to the moor near Huddersfield shortly after 10:00 BST on Tuesday, with six crews and two wildfire units remaining at the scene on Thursday.

At 17:00 the service said the fire looked to be extinguished, but three crews remained at the scene to check for hot spots.

When it began on Tuesday, fire crews said the blaze covered 2.49 miles (4km) of moorland.

On Thursday, fire engines from Slaithwaite, Halifax, Skelmanthorpe, Keighley, Todmorden and Ilkley were in attendance.

In an update on Thursday afternoon, the fire service said: "We'd like to thank our brilliant partners at The National Trust, RSPB and Yorkshire Water alongside gamekeepers and local land managers for all their extensive help at the scene.

"Without their hard work further damage could have been caused."

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