A wildfire that tore through moorland near Glossop has finally been extinguished after burning for almost two months, fire crews have confirmed.
The blaze, which broke out near the village of Tintwistle in Derbyshire, kept firefighters busy for weeks on end as it spread across the rugged upland terrain. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service described it as one of the largest fires they have ever had to tackle.
Moorland fires like this one are notoriously difficult to put out. The landscape is hard to access, the ground can smoulder deep beneath the surface, and dry or windy conditions can reignite areas that crews thought they had already dealt with. All of that makes for an exhausting, drawn-out battle that bears little resemblance to a typical house fire callout.
Tintwistle sits on the edge of the Peak District, close to the Longdendale Valley, where vast stretches of peat moorland make for beautiful walking country but also create serious fire risk during dry spells. Peat in particular is a major problem because it holds heat and can continue burning underground long after the surface appears safe.
The fire service has not yet released a full breakdown of the resources used over the course of the incident, but two months of active firefighting across difficult moorland terrain inevitably puts enormous strain on crews and equipment.
This is far from the first time this part of northern England has seen large moorland fires. The Peak District and the hills around Greater Manchester and Derbyshire have experienced several significant blazes in recent years, with some linked to prolonged dry summers and increasing temperatures. Conservationists have long warned that climate change is making these upland areas more vulnerable, drying out the peat and vegetation that would normally hold moisture.
Beyond the risk to emergency services, moorland fires cause serious environmental damage. Peat bogs are important carbon stores, and when they burn they release greenhouse gases back into the atmosphere. They also support rare plant and animal species that can take years or even decades to recover after a major fire.
Local residents near Tintwistle and Glossop will have been living with smoke and disruption for the duration of the blaze. Glossop is a market town in the High Peak district with a population of around 13,000 people, and the surrounding countryside is well used by walkers and cyclists who would have seen large areas of moorland blackened by the fire.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service has not yet commented on the cause of the fire. Moorland blazes can be started by something as simple as a discarded cigarette, a piece of glass concentrating sunlight, or a disposable barbecue left on dry ground. Deliberate arson is also a factor in some cases.
With the fire now out, attention will turn to the recovery of the affected land and what, if anything, can be done to reduce the risk of it happening again.