Crews start third day at huge moorland fire with 'avoid the area' warning issued

Crews are beginning their third day at a major moorland fire near Greater Manchester - with people being urged to stay away from the area. Firefighters were first called out to Meltham Moor, near Saddleworth, at around 10am on Tuesday (July 30).

The blaze was around 4km in size at its height, with 10 pumps used to battle the flames. Crews spent a second full day at the scene, off Wessendenhead Road in Meltham, on Wednesday and have returned to the site this morning (Thursday).

In an update, a West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) spokesperson said: "Five crews (Slaithwaite, Halifax, Skelmanthorpe, Keighley and Todmorden) and two wildfire units remain at the scene. This is still an active fire and the public are still being asked to avoid the area."

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WYFRS remained at the scene overnight. Ongoing warm, dry weather conditions and the moorland environment are making the fire 'challenging to tackle', the fire service stated yesterday.

Those conditions are currently forecast to continue in Meltham until the early hours of Monday morning, according to the Met Office, although temperatures will fall slightly to 20C on Saturday and 21C on Sunday. This morning's operation is smaller in scale than on Wednesday morning, when 11 crews began the day at the fire.

The blaze had reduced in size to around 2.4km by Wednesday lunchtime. Crews were using handheld jets, large jets and blowers to tackle the fire. Yet despite the major efforts to tackle the fire, some walkers were still seen in the area yesterday.

A WYFRS spokesperson posted on X: "The fire on Meltham Moor is still ongoing - can we ask that you