Crews spent another night tackling a moorland fire in Littleborough

Firefighters from Littleborough, Rochdale, Hyde and Todmorden fire stations were called out to Blackstone Edge at 9.45pm last night (Wednesday 17 April).

Watch Manager Ian Read, based at Rochdale Fire Station’s Blue Watch, said: “We had two acres of moorland well alight and the wind was really fierce, blowing towards us.

“It was really difficult because of the wind so we fought the fire from the edges, from the road and used paths and banks where we had lighting.

“Visibility on the road was also poor due to the smoke so that added to difficulties and we shut the road for a time because of it.

“It’s quite dangerous to go fully onto the moors in the dark so we did the best we could and tried to use the wind to our benefit.

“We managed to protect properties and barns – at one point, the fire was only about 10 metres from a barn.”

The crews used beaters and hose reels to fight the fire and firefighters placed themselves at strategic points to make sure the fire didn’t spread outside the area they had contained.

Firefighters from Littleborough had been there the night before tackling a fire and other crews had also been up there on the previous weekend.

Ian added: “Embers were blowing everywhere because of the wind so we needed to make sure those didn’t cause new fires in any areas that weren’t already affected.”

Firefighters were up on the moors for around two hours tackling the blaze.

Councillor David Acton, Chairman of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “Firefighters worked really hard in challenging conditions to protect homes in one of our most remote locations.

“The moorland is extremely important to Greater Manchester but it is also an incredibly delicate place.

“The conditions become very dry and it is vital that when we’re out enjoying these beautiful locations, we are particularly cautious about lighting barbecues and cigarettes and dispose of them properly.”