Firefighters battle 'apocalyptic' blaze in Yorkshire

Firefighters are tackling an enormous blaze on Saddleworth Moor in West Yorkshire - the latest in a series of serious woodland fires in England and Wales.

The fire, which has been described as “apocalyptic” covers about 1.5 sq km of land near Marsden. One eye witness told the BBC: “Imagine what the world would look like when it's ending - this is what it would look like.”

More than 30 firefighters from West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester fire stations were deployed to the scene. Police closed the A62 between the Colne Valley and Diggle in both directions to protect motorists.

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Five crews and two specialist moorland firefighting units will remain at the scene of the blaze which broke out around 7.30pm yesterday. The Manchester Evening News says that the fire broke out near an old pub, which is not thought to be at risk.

Yesterday evening a significant fire also broke out on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. The blaze on the Salisbury Crags covered about 800 square metres of land. It forced the closure of Queen's Drive between Dynamic Earth and the Commonwealth Pool.

Elsewhere, firefighters also battled blazes in East Sussex, where two separate fires tore through Ashdown Forest - best known as the inspiration for A. A. Milne's children's classic Winnie the Pooh - and North Wales.

Police and fire services suspect arsonists are to blame for a number of fires in Cornwall in recent weeks.

Last night’s fires came as the UK broke the record for the warmest winter day for a second time. The record-breaking 21C conditions made yesterday the hottest winter day on record, producing unseasonably arid conditions and parched fields.

Temperatures in Kew Gardens, south-west London, reached 21.2C (70.2F), breaking the record for the warmest February day. “The average temperature for this time of year is 9C in London and 9C in north Wales, so what we’re seeing is 10 degrees above average,” Martin Bowles, a Met Office meteorologist, told The Guardian.

There have been other suspicious fires on Saddleworth Moor. Last Monday evening, Greater Manchester Fire And Rescue Service spent two hours tackling another fire at the moor.

Last summer, a huge fire at the scene was alight more than a week amid a scorching heatwave. Eventually, the army was scrambled to help police and firefighters deal with the fire, which took three weeks to be completely extinguished. Arson was suspected.