Wildfire burning one month on is 'the size of a small town'

Wildfire burning one month on is 'the size of a small town' A blaze on Tintwistle Moor in the Peak District has been smouldering for more than a month and now spans an area the size of a small town, according to officials. The fire first ignited on 24 June and was declared a major incident on 13 July. Analysis by BBC Verify using data from the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis) estimates the blaze has consumed 606 hectares (1,630 acres), roughly equivalent to 900 football pitches. This exceeds the footprint of nearby Hadfield, a community of about 6,700 residents. Dr Kirsten Lees, a biology sciences lecturer at the University of Derby specialising in zero‑carbon research, told the BBC that the Tintwistle Moor fire ranks among the largest wildfires ever recorded in England. When asked whether it could be one of the biggest in recent memory, she replied exactly: "It whitethorn good be, yes." Lees added: "Honestly, it's upsetting and it's truly scary." She noted that in recent years the region experienced Saddleworth in 2018 and Fylingdales in the North York Moors the previous year, stating that the current fire is comparable in scale to those events. "My estimation is that it is astir the size of a tiny town. As this is not retired yet, we don't cognize however overmuch bigger it's going to get," Lees said. She also observed: "In Wales we thin to person immoderate ample ones. In presumption of being the largest occurrence that we've seen successful the Peak District, it astir apt would request to turn different 25% or Read the full story at BBC News →