Huge search begins for clues over moor blaze
MORE THAN 80 FIREFIGHTERS DRAFTED IN AS VAST MOORLAND FIRE TOOK HOLD NEAR TO DOVESTONE RESERVOIR, DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO PICNIC AREAS
FIRE investigators are still trying to understand what caused a huge blaze that scorched acres of moorland near Dovestone Reservoir.
Helicopters were drafted in to dump water over the flames, which took hold on grassy hills near Saddleworth on Thursday afternoon.
Crews were first called to the scene just after 2.30pm.
Around 80 firefighters spent more than six hours battling the flames, which had engulfed four square kilometres of land.
Bank Lane in Greenfield, which leads up to the reservoir, was cordoned off by police until Thursday evening.
A fire service spokesman said investigators returned to the moors yesterday to establish how the blaze started.
At its height on Thursday, 11 crews, along with three wildfire units, helicopters from Oldham Mountain Rescue and United Utilities, and an air unit from Lancashire Fire and Rescue, worked to bring the blaze under control.
Ella Stacey, 27, who works nearby, was among the first to see the blaze develop and dialled 999.
She told the M.E.N.: “It was right next to the path, which was really busy.
“When I first saw it the fire was the size of a few cars, a few minutes later it was the size of a football pitch.
“Five minutes after that and it was very, very big. What was so scary is it was so close to the picnic area, you could hear it crackling.
“There are loads of fires here, every couple of weeks, locals think young people are starting them either deliberately or accidentally with cigarettes and barbecues.”
GMFRS incident commander Paul Fearnhead said crews had stopped the fire from spreading further.
He said: “The crews have done a fantastic job in tackling this fire, working really hard across a huge area in difficult circumstances.
“We have successfully stopped this fire from spreading to parts of the area that have undergone recent investment.”