Marsden Moor: Fireworks found near wildfire site

While filming the fire, a BBC crew found recent evidence of fireworks being set off on the moor

Fireworks have been found on moorland where a wildfire has been burning since Sunday.

A BBC crew filming at the scene discovered a box labelled Cosmic Chaos on Marsden Moor, near Huddersfield.

The cause of the blaze, which has spread across 2 sq miles (5 sq km) is not yet known, but bonfires, fireworks and barbecues are banned on the National Trust site.

Fire crews have spent about 40 hours at the scene near Huddersfield.

The blaze began on Sunday amid "tinder-dry" conditions caused by warm weather.

An extra 20 firefighters were sent overnight, making a total of 70, and a major incident has been declared.

A helicopter has been dropping water from nearby reservoirs on the fire.

West Yorkshire Police, which has said it believes the blaze was started accidentally, is investigating the cause.

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West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) chief officer John Roberts said it was a "significant fire".

"Certainly we're going to be here for the remainder of the day and probably the coming days as well," he said.

"We'd ask members of the public to stay clear of the moor, from a traffic point of view there's some minor disruption."

Local crews were joined by firefighters from Greater Manchester and specialist wildfire units.

West Yorkshire Police said it would liaise with a Kirklees Council investigation into a breach of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which bans bonfires, fireworks and barbecues on the moor.

A fire chief said he expected crews to spend the coming days tackling the wildfire

At the scene

Spencer Stokes, BBC Look North

This blaze on the moor was being scaled back yesterday evening and into the night, but it has extended again, with 70 firefighters now trying to push it back and douse down the flames.

It now extends over 1,000 acres of National Trust-owned land, with fears nesting birds have been lost to the flames.

The charitable organisation is paying for a helicopter to repeatedly scoop water from nearby Butterley Reservoir before dousing the burnt heather and peat.

While filming the fire we were surprised to find a box of discarded fireworks nearby.

Despite no confirmation it was these fireworks which started the fire, it shows recent evidence of the PSPO being ignored by some visitors on the moors.

The site of the current blaze (pictured) is close to that of a similar fire in 2019 which destroyed 7 sq km of land

The latest fire started almost two years to the day since a barbecue sparked an inferno that destroyed 1,730 acres (7 sq km) of land.

Barbecues and fires are banned on the moors year-round to protect the landscape, with anyone breaching the ban liable to face a fine of up to £2,000.

Lee Miller, incident commander, asked people to be aware of the damage their actions could cause.

"We tell people not to come on to moorland with naked flames, barbeques, fireworks, because the risk is so high at present given how dry the moorland is," he said.

Marsden Moor is a Site of Special Scientific Interest famous for rare ground-nesting birds and blanket peat bogs. It is also home to short-eared owls and mountain hares, the National Trust said.

It said restoration efforts from the 2019 devastation were "expected to take several years and cost at least £500,000".

Nearby residents have been advised to keep doors and windows shut, with people told to stay away from the moor.

Road closures are in place on Mount Road and Old Mount Road.