Firefighters tackle Marsden Moor blaze

Fire crews are tackling a wildfire on Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire.

Three teams of firefighters and four wildlife support units were on the scene near Manchester Road, according to West Yorkshire Fire Service.

People have been warned to stay away from the area while fire crews bring the blaze under control.

The fire, near Slaithwaite, currently covered about 1.24sq miles (2sq km) and crews were working to stop the blaze spreading, the fire service said.

Dozens of people had phoned the fire service to report the blaze at around 13:30 BST on Wednesday, a spokesperson said.

Assistant district commander Adam Garvey said: "This is hard work for the firefighters, but we are working as a team to extinguish the flames.

"We are using blowers and beaters in a bid to stop the fire from spreading, as currently it stretches over a hill for around 2km."

Images from the scene show a large amount of smoke rising from the area of moorland.

Firefighters tackled two fires on Marsden Moor on 20 April.

"It is frustrating to have our crews called again to Marsden Moor as they were here less than two weeks ago with fires that are now being investigated as arson by police," Mr Garvey said.

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