Fire crews tackle blaze on Darwen Moor

Firefighters try to control the blaze on Darwen Moor

LFRS Fire crew tackles blaze smoke — Firefighters try to control the blaze on Darwen Moor

Firefighters are tackling a blaze in the Pennines that is burning across 5 km (3 miles) of moorland, crews said.

The fire started near Bolton Road, Darwen, at about 18:45 BST on Saturday.

Chief fire officer Justin Johnston said it was "more than likely" the fire was started by a disposable barbecue found near where the blaze broke out.

Firefighters are also dealing with another blaze on Longridge Fell, Clitheroe, which began on Sunday afternoon.

People have been advised to stay indoors, and keep windows and doors shut.

Road closures were in place including Turton Road and access to Darwen Moor from Whitehall Park.

Closures were put in place by police to prevent access on to Darwen Moor

Footpath closed by police — Closures were put in place by police to prevent access on to Darwen Moor

Lancashire Fire crews tackled four other outdoor blazes on Saturday, including in Bacup, Winter Hill and near Anglezarke reservoir.

Mr Johnston said: "They are seldom [due to] natural causes like broken glass and sunlight… normally it's careless use on something like this, or it's deliberate."

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read

Twitter’s cookie policy

and

before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

A United Utilities helicopter is helping crews tackle the Darwen fire

LFRS A United Utilities helicopter is helping crews tackle the fire — A United Utilities helicopter is helping crews tackle the Darwen fire

Mr Johnston said emergency services were "working incredibly hard", following concerns over a possible repeat of a fire that lasted for 42 days at Winter Hill in summer 2018.

"Once the fire's into that peat under the ground, that's a fuel source itself - it will burn and burn… it can go underground and it can pop up 20 feet away.

"The ground conditions are so dry at the moment that we really don't want anybody up on the moors and having barbecues and camp fires," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

The fire has blackened a 5km stretch of Darwen Moor

LRFS Blackened section of the moor — The fire has blackened a 5km stretch of Darwen Moor