Just dropping down the hill into Sowerby Bridge noticed a lot of smoke coming off the moor. Got home and poked my longest lens out if the window to see this.

The link below from the Courier says the fire brigade where called out at 12.50pm and I took this at 4.45. This looks to be nowhere near under conrol. It’s really dry up there and the wind is quite strong.

Not much detail here yet

Disatrous for lots of reasons not least nesting birds. Can’t help but think it can only be carelessness or malicious.

I was only there yesterday admiring the area, such a shame and like you say, bad time for birds. 🙁

Well the good news is this looks to be out now. Apparently helicopters have been dumping water over the area so hopefully no more fires will flare up tonight, but the damage will be significant as it was burning for a least 7 hours.

Saw that earlier. A group of us rode down off Blackstone Edge, then down towards Cragg Vale on the road but then turned off onto Byron Edge to ultimately make our way back to Tod.

We spoke to a chap as we turned onto Byron Edge who I think was the landowner/land manager who reckoned that the fires would cost him at least £25k & he said that it couldn’t have happened at a worse time with it being breeding season for the ground nesting birds. He also said that he had a very good idea as to those responsible for starting the fire.

The gorse and heather will eventually regrow, but think of the cost to you the tax payer for the firebrigade personnel, the police,etc, theres also the pollution risk,and most importantly firemen are out dealing with that and are not available for RTC,s or actual fires.

Massive spate of fires in south wales recently, and around here.

He also said that he had a very good idea as to those responsible for starting the fire.

Unbelievable that people would do this deliberately.

It can only be deliberate or fire that got out of control. I rode over there at 12:00 today and it was certainly not dry or hot enough for this to have happened naturally.