Marsden Moor: Fire crews return as moorland blaze reignites

Firefighters have returned to the scene of a blaze on Marsden Moor after the fire reignited.

Crews were called to Butterley Reservoir on Wessenden Road in Marsden just before 12:30 BST on Friday.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) said it had five crews, all wildlife specialists, at the scene.

Firefighters were originally called to the blaze, which took hold of an area of land above the Wessenden Valley, at 19:30 BST on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the service said: "The fire currently measures 100 metres.

"Crews in attendance are wildfire specialists from Slaithwaite, Meltham, Holmfirth, Halifax and Mytholmroyd. The all-terrain Argocat and Polaris vehicles are also in attendance."

It's not a new fire, it's a reignition of a previous fire from a few days ago. This black scar across the landscape is growing once more on Marsden Moor.

The fire service say it's currently about 100 metres wide and it's moving at quite a fast pace. The wind here is quite fierce, which is helping to push it along.

You can just tell how dry it is, how dry the grass is, which is not helping firefighters. We have got a period of fine weather ahead of us which is unfortunately just going to make the area drier.

The latest fire comes after the National Trust said around 750 acres (three sq km) of moorland in West Yorkshire had been destroyed by fire over the last four months, including seven fires on Marsden Moor.

Two are being investigated as arson and the fire service said it could not rule out others being deliberate.

Dale Gardiner, Kirklees District Commander for WYFRS, said it was "very unusual" to have so many fires in the location in such a short space of time.

"Whether it's people deliberately coming on to the moor to set fires or whether they're just being careless about what they're doing, we're working with the National Trust and the police to investigate what's going on."

Mr Gardiner said he had been fighting fires on the moors since 2018 and had been to more than 20 since 2019.

"The simple message is if you are starting the fires then stop, and if members of the public see any unusual activity then contact us."

Joanne Hudson, National Trust general manager for Nostell and West Yorkshire, said the fires caused heart-breaking damage to animals and vegetation.

She said rangers had found burnt nests and eggs on site, as well as frogs and other animals.

"My team bring back pictures of destroyed nests of either young birds, eggs and frogs, species that can't run away from the fire and they're all destroyed and they will take years to come back as well as the vegetative species," she said.

Supt Helen Brear, from West Yorkshire Police, reminded people that Public Space Protection Orders were in place on the moors, which ban the use of fires and barbecues.

She warned the force would investigate all incidents and would do "everything to identify and prosecute" those responsible.

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