Moor fires treated as arson

A blaze on Saddle worth Mo or which fire crews have been fighting for more than a week is being treated as arson.

Police say witnesses reported that people were lighting a bonfire on the moorland above Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, on the early evening of Sunday 24 June - about 50 minutes before the first emergency call.

The fire on land at Buckton Vale, east of Manchester, later led two days later to the evacuation of dozens of homes in the village of Carr brook as flames threatened to en gulf properties and continued to spread as fire crews from across the country, with the assistance of the Army, successfully battled to keep the area safe.

Yesterday with the fire still burning, Greater Manchester Police said the bonfire sighting was being pursued as a possible line of inquiry.

Around 100 troops from the Royal Regiment of Scotland have been involved in the operation.