This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Firefighters have tackled a “ferocious” moorland blaze in West Yorkshire after the UK’s warmest winter day on record.

Wildfire rages on Saddleworth Moor – in pictures Read more

Witnesses described an “apocalyptic” scene as flames of up to two metres raged across Saddleworth Moor on Tuesday night.

The fire, near Marsden, spread across an area of 1.5 sq miles and could be seen from miles away as crews from across the region battled through the night to contain it.

Adam Greenwood, a station manager at West Yorkshire fire and rescue service, said the blaze was “one of the highest flame fronts we have seen” and had spread rapidly due to the unseasonably warm and dry weather.

Britain had its hottest winter day on record on Tuesday, with a temperature of 21.2C (69.4F) recorded in Kew Gardens, south-west London.

Firefighters also had to battle a large fire on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh as about 800 sq metres of gorse was ablaze on Salisbury Crags.

Both fires were under control by Wednesday morning but up to 40 firefighters remained on Saddleworth Moor to extinguish any hotspots that reignited as temperatures climbed during the day.

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Witnesses described a “terrible” scene overnight as the fire came close to buildings and a busy road high on the moorland.

The incident commander, Laura Boocock, told the BBC it was one of the biggest grass fires she had seen.

BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) Have you ever seen moorland fires in February? A huge fire on Saddleworth Moor has broken out. West Yorkshire Fire Service says it's one of the biggest moorland fires that it's ever had to tackle. #BBCBreakfast #saddleworthmoor pic.twitter.com/XHSFNe2oTC

Harry Broughton, a witness, tweeted: “Never seen anything like this – had a drive up as these things look terrible … high up on the Pennines between #Saddleworth and #Marsden on the Manc/Yorks border, but close to houses including two pubs. Hope it is contained.”

Another witness, John Eccles, said: “Just coming up the road from Marsden and this is the apocalyptic scene at the crossroads. You can feel the heat through the windscreen. I hope our intrepid firefighters stay safe.”

John Eccles (@John_Eccles) Just coming up the road from Marsden and this is the apocalyptic scene at the crossroads. You can feel the heat through the windscreen. I hope our intrepid Fire fighters stay safe. pic.twitter.com/hniEstMiO2

Greenwood, who was among 40 firefighters at the scene overnight, said the blaze took hold as the top layer of moorland was “quite dried out because of the recent good weather”.

He described challenging conditions as firefighters had to carry heavy equipment over uneven terrain for more than an hour to reach the seat of the fire. The flames were over two metres high at one point and came within 500 metres of a critical A-road, as well as three buildings.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (@WYFRS) A dramatic picture from the ferocious moorland fire at #MarsdenMoor last night. A round-up with all the latest is here: https://t.co/OUTqCcumpx pic.twitter.com/sejjswoQ4y

“Crews were walking up to a mile to reach the fire and were carrying blowers, beaters and other firefighting equipment with them,” Greenwood said.

“Crews have worked tirelessly to get the fire under control and have done a great job. The quick initial fire attack by firefighters did help to bring the fire under control, despite the size and ferocity of the flames.”

Public Health England advised local residents to stay indoors and to keep doors and windows closed to prevent smoke inhalation.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Firefighters make their way cross the charred moorland checking for pockets of heat. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Sue Hayman,the shadow environment secretary, said the fire was “devastating” and must serve as a “dramatic wake-up call to act” on climate change.

“The government’s plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and for preventing and managing wildfires are failing, and the consequences are there for all to see,” she said. “Labour will rapidly reduce emissions through our green jobs revolution, and protect our moorlands by restoring upland peat habitats.”

Climate scientists said it was difficult to attribute single events to climate change but that the frequency of wildfires would increase as the weather gradually became warmer.

Dr Thomas Smith, an assistant professor in environmental geography at the London School of Economics, said managed moorland fires were “quite normal” in February but that the Saddleworth Moor fire had clearly got out of control.

“The fires are occurring due to favourable weather conditions. It is not possible to attribute this short spell of warm, dry weather to climate change,” he said. “However, these warm spells will become more likely with climate change, and so we should expect fire activity like we’ve seen this week to happen more frequently in future.”