A fire that continues to rage across moorland in Greater Manchester is being investigated as arson.

About 100 soldiers and an RAF Chinook helicopter were drafted in to help with the fire near Saddleworth Moor last week after around 50 homes were evacuated. While the fire continues to burn into a second week, emergency services describe it as under control.

The fire is thought to have started on the evening of Sunday 24 June on land near to Buckton Vale, north of Stalybridge. Firefighters were soon able to put it out, but it reignited the following Tuesday because of the high temperatures.

Police said on Wednesday that witnesses reported people lighting a bonfire at around 7.30pm on that Sunday and that officers were pursuing that as a possible line of inquiry.



Ch Supt Neil Evans, territorial policing commander for Tameside, said: “The moorland fire is now being investigated as arson following information from local witnesses and initial inquiries.

“The scale of this fire is exceptional and we are treating it with the utmost seriousness. That said, we are under no illusion that solid evidence as to where the fire started and what was the cause will not be easy to establish.

“The areas we have been able to look include dusty ash, burnt peat and grass and, because of this, our work with the fire service will be painstaking.”

Evans called on the public to come forward with any information. “Were you on the moors last Sunday and did you see anything that could help us understand exactly what happened?” he said. “If you know anything, no matter how small, it could help our investigation so please get in touch.”

Interim chief fire officer, Dawn Docx, said: “Firefighters are working in extremely difficult and challenging circumstances in Tameside and I can’t praise crews enough – they’ve done a fantastic job and are continuing to work hard to put out the multiple fires across the moorlands.

“I would like to urge the public to be really careful with barbecues, discarded cigarettes and glass bottles in the countryside. Fires in the moorlands can spread rapidly so it’s important that we take extra care.”

Up to 100 firefighters from across England were also tackling a blaze 30 miles away on Winter Hill near Bolton on Wednesday. The fire, which has also been declared a major incident, is expected to burn for several days.

On Friday a 22-year-old man from Bolton was arrested in connection with the Winter Hill fire. He was held on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life but was released pending further inquiries.

The Woodland Trust said “whole ecosystems will have been wiped out” by the Winter Hill fire, which is on the charity’s Smithills Estate, itslargest site in England.

A spokesperson said: “The fire’s impact on nature could be devastating. It has damaged heather moorland, home to an array of delicate and rare plants and animals such as the brown hare, lapwing and common lizard.”

Around a fifth of the estate has been burnt, including the first trees planted as part of the trust’s 25-year Northern Forest project. The Woodland Trust bought the 1,700 acre estate, which is home to over 1000 species of animal, in January.