Emergency crews tackle two wildfires in one night on Marsden Moor

Firefighters tackled two huge blazes on Marsden Moor yesterday evening.

Crews were first called to a wildfire in the Pule Hill area shortly after 4.25pm yesterday afternoon. Pictures taken at the scene on the moorland in West Yorkshire, close to Greater Manchester, showed huge plumes of smoke visible for miles around.

Five fire engines were scrambled to the blaze, as well as wildfire officers and a drone team. Police were pictured at the scene, with a number of roads closed off including the A62 Manchester Road, between Oldham and Marsden.

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By around 6.20pm, crews had started damping down. Firefighters were then scrambled to another blaze on the moorland at Wessenden Lodge.

This wildfire broke out at around 7.11pm. People were urged to stay away from the area as wildfire and drone units responded.

'Active firefighting' was still ongoing at around 8.45pm, according to the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. This morning, the fire service confirmed the Wessenden Lodge fire was a wildfire of approximately 2km, Yorkshire Live reports.

The fire service said five appliances had been in attendance into the night. Firefighters were also called to a blaze on Marsden Moor earlier this month on April 9.

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