Moorland fire in Meltham
Crews are in attendance at a moorland fire off Wessendenhead Road in Meltham.
Update 09:00 - Five crews (Slaithwaite, Halifax, Skelmanthorpe, Keighley and Todmorden) and two wildfire units remain at the scene. This is still an active fire and the public are still being asked to avoid the area.
Update 12:00 - The crews all still remain at the scene, with the addition of Ilkley. The fire is still burning, but the crews are working hard to tackle it, despite the hot and arduous conditions. The public are still being asked to avoid the area.
Update 14:00 - Crews remain at the scene, but the fire front is now out. However as over previous days there are a significant number of hot spots over several kilometers. Crews will remain at the scene this afternoon. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank our brilliant partners at The National Trust, RSPB and Yorkshire Water alongside gamekeepers and local land managers for all their extensive help at the scene. Without their hard work further damage could have been caused, and as a service we are grateful for their help.
Update 17:00 - The fire still looks to be extinguished, but three crews remain at the scene this evening checking for hot spots. We would still ask people to please avoid the area.
UPDATE: 21:30 - Crews leaving the area but a waking watch will remain overnight. The wildfire officer will return at first light to assess the situation.
WEDNESDAY 31ST JULY 2024
UPDATE: 10:00 - Eleven crews are back at the scene fighting the fire. These are Todmorden, Castleford, Keighley, Featherstone, Moortown, Morley, Bradford, Odsal, Dewsbury, Hunslet and Rastrick. They are being supported by wildfire units and several Watch Managers. The conditions (warm dry weather) and the environment make this a challenging fire to tackle.
UPDATE: 11:30 - Firefighters still remain at the scene, this is a fire front of approximately 2.4km. Crews are using handheld jets, large jets and blowers to tackle the fire.
UPDATE 14.00 - the ten crew response is being reduced to a four pump response. There are still wildfire support units at the scene. The public are being asked to avoid the area.
UPDATE 15.30 - Crews remain at the scene tackling the fire. The public are still being asked to stay away from the scene, there is still a lot of smoke in the air.
UPDATE 1730- Four crews remain at the scene and there will be a WYFRS presence on the moor overnight. Please avoid the area. We will provide a further update in the morning.
Crews are in attendance at a moorland fire off Wessendenhead Road in Meltham. There are currently specialist wildfire resources in attendance along with 5 additional pumps and support appliances.
UPDATE: 11am - this is now a 10 pump fire. Road closures are in place around the area.
Crews in attendance are Huddersfield, Halifax, Skelmanthorpe, Slaithwaite, Mirfield, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Ossett and Meltham.
UPDATE 12.45 - Crews remain at the scene tackling the fire. The fire has been split into sectors as we continue to bring the situation to a close.
UPDATE 13.45 - This is a 4km fire front. Crews are using beaters and a water relay to tackle the situation.
UPDATE 14.45- All crews and support crews remain at the scene, and the fire is still measuring approximately 4km. Firefighters are using blowers and ultra light pumps to assist in our firefighting efforts. We are also being supported by our colleagues from Yorkshire Water.
UPDATE 16.00- The fire has been reduced down in size significantly, but operations to make the scene safe remain underway. This is being scaled down to five fire crews. They will be working until dusk to make sure there are no hot spots that could ignite again. The public are being asked to avoid the area for the forseeable future as crews continue their work.
UPDATE: 1830 - Seven crews and support teams remain working at the scene, damping down the area.