Fire crews tackle re-ignited moorland blaze

The fire on moorland near Meltham was first tackled on Tuesday

A major moorland fire flared up again less than a day after it was first extinguished by emergency crews.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews were originally called to the moor off Wessendenhead Road in Meltham, outside Huddersfield, shortly after 10:00 BST on Tuesday.

Firefighters tackled the large blaze covering 2.49 miles (4km) of moorland and it was eventually thought to have been put out.

However, on Wednesday morning the fire service confirmed the blaze had started again and a "major response" had been sent to the scene.

The fire on Tuesday took several hours to get under control

At its height on Wednesday, a total of 11 crews tackled the blaze, supported by wildfire units, but that was later reduced to four pumps, a spokesperson said.

Crews from Todmorden, Castleford, Keighley, Featherstone, Moortown, Morley, Bradford, Odsal, Dewsbury, Hunslet and Rastrick were all involved.

The fire service said the ongoing warm and dry weather conditions had made dealing with the blaze a "challenging situation".

Despite members of the public being asked to avoid the area, the fire service said a number of people were putting "themselves and others at risk" by trying to use nearby footpaths and reiterated calls to stay away.

They added that they would keep a presence on the moor overnight.

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