Saddleworth Moor burns again after days of dry weather – “These kind of temperatures, 18C or 19C, are what you would normally see in early June”
By Wayne Ankers, Nick Lavigueur, and Susie Beever
27 February 2019
(Examiner Live) – A huge moorland fire has broken out on moorland above Huddersfield closing a major road. […]
West Yorkshire Fire have issued a warning about basic fire safety tips after last night’s moorland blaze.
Dale Gardiner said “While we have not yet determined a cause of the fire, this is amongst the biggest moorland fires we have had to deal with in recent years. Wildfires are not generally common in February, so the above average weather conditions has elevated the wildfire risk across the county. Generally the summer months are our busiest times for wildfire, however due to the warmth we’re experiencing now, we feel it’s a good idea to remind the public of some steps they can take to stop this sort of thing happening.” […]
Around 30 fire fighters from seven different fire stations and two services tackled the blaze at Saddleworth Moor last night. Station Manager Adam Greenwood was one of the crew members who attended the fire overnight.
He said, “When crews arrived shortly before 20.00 hrs there was a large area of approximately three to four square kilometres of moorland on fire. It was one of the of the highest flame fronts we have seen with flames of up to two metres high and it was moving fast across the moorland. [more]
Fire crews spend all night battling huge 1.5km moorland fire in Marsden – latest updates
27 February 2019 (BBC News) – Fire crews have extinguished a huge blaze on moorland in West Yorkshire.
The fire, described by one witness as “apocalyptic”, started at about 19:30 GMT on Tuesday and covered about 1.5 sq km of land near Marsden.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said it was “one of the biggest moorland fires we’ve ever had to deal with”.
It came as the UK broke the record for the warmest winter day for a second time and on the same day as a gorse fire on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.
Following a night spent tackling the blaze, near Saddleworth Moor between Huddersfield and Manchester, a fire service spokesperson said: “The fire now looks to be out.” […]
BBC Yorkshire climate correspondent Paul Hudson said that, like much of the UK, the region had faced unseasonal winter temperatures.
He said: “These kind of temperatures, 18C or 19C, are what you would normally see in early June.
“There’s been a prolonged abnormally warm spell and we’ve also had an exceptionally dry start to 2019. [more]
