Moorblaze caused by ‘cig idiots’
Locals blame ‘idiot’ bikers for starting devastating inferno
FARMERS whose sheep burned to death in the Saddleworth Moor fire say it was started by cigarette butts discarded by “brainless idiots”.
James Crowther, 30, who farms 5,000 acres, said five motorbike riders were seen on the moors on Sunday afternoon.
He said: “Two hours later the land was ablaze with 20-foot flames. When the fire moved on, it left behind something that looked liked a scorched desert.
“That’s when we found fag ends absolutely everywhere. What sort of brainless idiot throws a fag end down in the grass on the hottest day of the year?”
More than 100 firefighters have been tackling the blaze, east of Manchester, and yesterday 60 soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland arrived to help. Tony Hunter, of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said “significant improvements” had been made.
But he warned the fire could flare up again and a good downpour was needed to dampen down the vegetation. No rain is forecast as the heatwave continues.
The fire destroyed four square miles of moorland and blanketed a vast area in
smoke. Residents evacuated from their homes on Tuesday have all now returned, but some have reported bleeding noses, eye irritation and chest problems.
Dr Richard Bircher, of Lockside Medical Centre in Stalybridge, said: “Thankfully, the smoke is getting less, but the advice is to try to avoid it.”
Mr Crowther said he was suffering chest problems after spending almost 48 hours trying to tackle the blaze. He said: “I’m shattered and my chest feels terrible, we didn’t have any specialist equipment, we just covered our faces with cloths.”
His sister Claire, 26, who helps run Upperwood Farm, said: “James and my other brother, Chris, have been working around the clock to try to protect their animals and land. They rescued 450 sheep late on Tuesday night. It’s pretty shocking. We’ve found some dead sheep that were trapped by the blaze, but there’s a lot more missing.
“Everything has gone, all the wildlife, the land has been stripped bare. It’s going to take a lot of help and cash to sort out.”
Firefighters were last night battling a second moorland blaze at Winter Hill near Bolton, 20 miles from Saddleworth.