Marsden Moor: Fire crews tackle moorland blaze

Fire crews are tackling the second fire within a week on an area of moorland.

About 60 firefighters were at the scene of the blaze on Marsden Moor near Cupwith Reservoir, Huddersfield.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said they were dealing with two lines of fire, each one mile (1.6 km) long.

The previous fire took place at Pule Hill on 18 March, which prompted a reminder that fires, barbecues and fireworks are banned on the moor.

A fire service spokesperson said they were alerted to the latest outbreak at about 15:15 GMT on Wednesday.

The West Yorkshire service sent six appliances and was being supported by six pumps and two wildfire units from Greater Manchester.

The National Trust said fire crews would remain at the scene overnight on Wednesday.

It said that its rangers were also on site and tweeted a reminder that the area was vulnerable to fires after a long period of dry weather.

"Please never bring BBQs, campfires, or fireworks onto the moors," the tweet said.

"You could face a fine or even a prison sentence."

Police closed New Hey Road in Scammonden while firefighters worked to put out the fire.

Marsden Moor is a Site of Special Scientific Interest famous for its rare ground-nesting birds and blanket peat bogs.

"I'm standing next to Old Ground which is just above Slaithwaite on the outskirts of Huddersfield.

Here there's two parked up fire engines, the crews have walked out to tackle this huge blaze up on the moorland near Cupwith Reservoir.

Dusk has fallen and you can now see an orange and red glow for about half a mile and a plume coming into the blue and black sky.

You can hear blowers at work, which is one of the specialist firefighting equipment they use to direct the flames.

Sometimes the silence is also broken by the call of a bird, with the impact of another moor fire on the flora and fauna around here a major concern.

It does look like it's going to be some time before this fire is brought under control."

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