Firefighters in Greater Manchester are continuing to battle a huge fire on Saddleworth Moor after working through the night to try to control the 6km-long blaze.

Thirty-four homes were evacuated on Tuesday night in Carrbrook, Stalybridge, close to the fire, which has been raging since Sunday between Dovestones reservoir and Buckton Vale. Power to 250 properties in the area was cut overnight “for safety reasons”, according to Electricity North West, but has since been restored.

Two schools nearby have been closed on Wednesday as a safety precaution, Tameside council said.

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Ten fire engines and 50 firefighters were working overnight to contain the blaze, some walking several miles with heavy equipment, said Leon Parkes, the assistant chief fire officer with Greater Manchester fire and rescue service.

“The area is really, really large – it’s a really difficult fire situation because of the size of it.Some of the feedback we’ve received is that it’s over 6km,” he said on Wednesday.



“Clearly the challenges are enormous. We have firefighters working in really hot conditions. They’re doing everything they can to control that fire. As you can appreciate, firefighters will have fire kit on which is heavy, thick, warm – the ground is hot, the smoke coming off the fire is thick.

“The scenes of fire are not where we can access. Some of them are two miles away (from where we can park).”

The fire service planned a “heavy attack” on the fire on Wednesday, he added.

“The plan today is to try and put some resource on the scene, and put a heavy attack on this fire – if that needs military assistance, that’s what we’ll consider,” he said.

He said it had not been established what might have caused the fire.

Play Video 0:31 Firefighters tackle Manchester moorland fire – video

The police have declared the blaze a major incident and said the army was on standby to step in.

The force tweeted: “We are in contact with the army and they are on standby to help if we need them.”

Greater Manchester police declared a major incident as flames crept close to the city’s eastern suburbs, having already devastated surrounding areas of countryside.

Jonny Reynolds, the MP for Stalybridge, described the scenes as “apocalyptic” and “looking like Mordor from Lord of the Rings”.

He said: “It’s pretty worrying stuff. They’re talking about the affected area being 6km wide, which puts it on a scale much beyond what we have seen in the past. We do get moorland fires pretty regularly in Saddleworth – most years there is at least one, but this is much worse. Most people are saying it’s the worst moorland fire we’ve had in living memory. I don’t ever remember schools being closed as a result of a fire.



“Last night it looked apocalyptic with the full moon rising below the hills on fire. It looked like Mordor from Lord of the Rings, really frightening for people.”



The MP warned that the army may need to be deployed soon, particularly if the wind picked up. “If this doesn’t get turned around today we might genuinely be looking at some sort of military resources being deployed to the area,” he said.



“You can’t relax because the weather could reverse the progress the firefighters are making. On Monday, the fire had pretty much gone out but then it reignited in these hot temperatures.”



All residents evacuated on Tuesday night found beds with friends and family, he said. Should more people have to leave their homes and have nowhere to go, emergency shelters would open up, he added.



He praised local people for offering help. Tameside Rocks, a community children’s group that paints rocks and hides them around the borough, has painted a batch to thank the firefighters, while Tesco in Stalybridge has given its entire supply of bottled water to the emergency services, he said.



Health officials had earlier issued advice to people in the Tameside area to stay inside their homes and keep their doors and windows closed in order to deal with the smoke coming from the moor.

Triangle News (@TriangleNewsUK) Incredible timelapse footage of the forest fire in Saddleworth, Manchester has been captured by amateur photographer Tristan Manchester. pic.twitter.com/3Aef8qOcBE

Firefighters were forced to undertake “physically draining” work as a heatwave gripped much of Britain on Tuesday, Greater Manchester fire and rescue service said. They were “faced with very difficult circumstances, intense heat” and were “working on challenging terrain”, added the group manager for Tameside and Stockport, Phil Nelson.

Greater Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, paid tribute to the firefighters.

Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) Huge thanks to the GM firefighters working flat out to contain this worrying situation. If you live in the area, please follow the advice. https://t.co/3Bc1FSLDLl

G M Police (@gmpolice) Dawn over the moors has revealed what we're dealing with...



This morning's view from @gmpolice HQ



Our thoughts are with those affected and @manchesterfire who have worked bravely through the night.



It is going to be a long, hot, smoky day. #Staysafe out there#Moorefires pic.twitter.com/jXH2aATFfE

The fire started late on Sunday evening on land near to Buckton Vale, to the north of Stalybridge. While firefighters were soon able to put it out, “due to the heat, the fire reignited on Tuesday morning”.

Firefighters said the blaze had “devastated a portion of the area near to Buckton Vale”, with about 2 sq km of moorland on fire. They added a “significant amount of low lying smoke has been discharged in the local area”.

G M Police (@gmpolice) We are in contact with the army and they are on standby to help if we need them. Right now support is being given from @CheshireFire and @DerbyshireFRS #Moorlandfires

Public Health England’s north-west office advised motorists who had to travel through the smoke to keep their windows closed, turn off their air conditioning and keep their air vents closed. It said: “If people need to be outdoors, they are advised to avoid areas affected by any smoke or ash, or to limit the time that they spend in them.”



Huge plumes of smoke stretching along moorland could be seen in pictures and footage from near the scenes.

Derbyshire firefighters were also called in to help tackle the blaze on Saddleworth Moor and were seen beating down moorland in images released by the fire service on Monday. The force described it as “hard, hot and exhausting work”, and warned people to be careful while enjoying the outdoors.

Derbyshire FRS (@DerbyshireFRS) A few pictures showing firefighters hard at work using beaters to fight the fire at Tintwistle. It’s hard, hot exhausting work! Please take extra care when out in the countryside - a stray cigarette, a discarded glass bottle, or a spark from a BBQ can all cause untold devastation pic.twitter.com/Tb44M8qctI

Dozens of firefighters had to also tackle a blaze on moorland in Rivington, Lancashire. The region’s deputy chief fire officer, Justin Johnston, said: “We’ve been aware that this might occur given the long dry spell. Fortunately, crews are well trained and well equipped with special wildfire procedures.”