Saddleworth Moor blaze cost economy £21m, study reveals

THE blaze that engulfed Saddleworth Moor, Britain’s largest wildfire in decades, cost an estimated £21 million to the UK economy, a university study has found.

More than 100 firefighters and soldiers battled the fires, which burned above Greater Manchester over three weeks in June 2018.

Experts calculated that nine deaths were “brought forward” from exposure to pollution, as they found dangerous levels of particulates known as PM2.5 released into the air by the wildfire.

Using computer simulations, researchers at the University of Leeds estimated the projected economic impact of the fires to be £21.1 million.

The figure includes the medical costs for those who subsequently died, and the bill for the emergency services who responded to the incident.

The final figure is also made up of the

“gross loss output” of the fatalities, which calculates the total contributions – such as through national insurance – expected to have been made over people’s lifetimes.

Ailish Graham, the lead author of the study, which was published in Environmental Research Letters, told The Daily Telegraph: “It is quite a big number.

“All of the values for prevented fatalities are generally quite high. There were a lot of fire service personnel there so I would not be surprised if the number did mount quickly. It is important to note that it is not the total value of the fire, but an estimate of the potential costs.”

In a statement, the other four authors added: “It is clear from this study that the pollution from wildfires can have a significant effect on public health.

“Although people may not have been able to smell smoke, particulate matter was very high in areas far away from the fires, such as Southport and Wigan.

“Particulate pollution from the fires substantially degraded air quality over the north-west of England, leading the pollution levels to rise much above the recommended levels.”

The Saddleworth Moor fire was the largest UK wildfire in recent decades, with more than double the burnt area of the previous large wildfire in 2011, in Swinley, Berks.

The blaze occurred during a historic summer heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 30C for several days in June.