Fire crews continue battle with moor blaze

A large moorland blaze in Lancashire has been contained but firefighters are continuing to douse smouldering peat below the surface.

Fire chiefs declared a major incident on Saturday after two large-scale blazes either side of Winter Hill near Bolton merged because of increased wind speed.

Colleagues from Greater Manchester, who have been battling a similar fire nearby, joined other crews from around the country to prevent it spreading further.

Chief fire officer Chris Kenny said a total of 29 fire engines remain on site along with helicopters, drones and mountain rescue units, adding: “The nature of moorland fires combined with the weather means that while we extinguish flames on the surface, peat underground continues to burn.”