Firefighters tackled a huge wildfire on moorland north of Bolton this evening. Crews raced to the scene of a spreading blaze near Darwen Moor Tower, Darwen on Thursday (May 19), which scorched 1,000 square metres of land.
A total of six fire engines were at scene of the blaze, with the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service warning people to avoid the area while they attempted to bring the fire under control. Those living nearby were urged to keep their windows and doors closed.
The moors, which sit just a few miles north of Bolton, were also ravaged by week-long fires in May and June 2020, taking crews more than 160 hours to eventually bring under control after two people had taken a disposable BBQ onto the grassy moors and lit it despite warnings on the packaging.
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Pictures showed thick clouds of smoke ascending over the moor throughout Thursday evening. It is not thought any damage has been caused to Darwen Tower, which is set to be unveiled to the public on June 2 for its second royal Jubilee after a year-long restoration.
Darwen had sunny weather conditions throughout Thursday with temperatures reaching 17 degrees, according to the Met Office. Following the fire, the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service issued an update, confirming that six fire engines were needed, with crews using hose reels, beaters and blowers to extinguish the fire.
Afterwards, an area of land approx 1000 square metres was reportedly burned. The fire service took to Twitter at 7.30pm on Thursday and wrote: "We currently have six fire engines attending a wildfire incident near Darwen Moor Tower, Darwen. Please avoid the area and keep your windows and doors closed if you are affected by smoke."
