Saddleworth Moor fire: Crews battle 'apocalyptic' blaze after UK's hottest winter day on record

Dozens of firefighters tackle 'intense' flames through the night as wildfires break out around Britain

Dozens of firefighters worked through the night to battle a major moorland blaze in West Yorkshire.

More than 1.5sq km of Saddleworth Moor was ablaze in the early hours of Wednesday morning after the UK’s hottest winter day on record.

Crews from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service fought to contain the “intense” flames for more than 13 hours.

The brigade said that the blaze “looks to be out” but firefighters would remain at the scene near Marsden “to tackle any further hotspots” on another day of unseasonably warm weather.

The fire broke out on Tuesday night and could be seen for miles around. One witness said it looked "like the apocalypse”.

Firefighters battled the flames with leaf blowers but were hampered by difficult terrain and said the moorland was “surprisingly dry” for February.

It came after a record winter temperature of 21.2C was recorded at Kew Gardens in London on Tuesday, beating the previous high of 20.6C measured at Trawsgoed the day before.

Ben Root, crew commander at Huddersfield fire station, told The Independent: “We were all surprised by how intense the fire was burning. We’ve only had a couple of days of sunshine and it seems to have taken hold really well.”

Mr Root, who was at Saddleworth Moor until 2.30am, added: “Access was the main problem. There’s one main road with runs through the middle of the moor and it’s a mile or two miles from where the fire was. The terrain wasn’t simple underfoot, it was undulating and lots of gullies and ravines that the fire burns into.”

Homes close to the fire were evacuated, while drivers pulled over to gaze in awe at the scale of the blaze.

“There were lines of flames, like someone had put down petrol on the hillside and it was just a massive ring that went zig-zagging up and down the hill and all around in a circle," witness John Turner told Sky News. "It’s like the sky is on fire, almost. There was a group on the hill, just pulled over, and there were people saying ‘it looks like the end of the world, it looks like the apocalypse is happening’.”

Another, Harry Broughton, tweeted that he had “never seen anything like this”.

Public Health England warned people living in the surrounding area to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed to prevent smoke drifting in. It also advised drivers to turn off their air conditioning and keep windows shut.

Fire crews were also battling a gorse blaze on spread across 800sq m Edinburgh’s Salisbury Crags on Tuesday, with flames visible from the city. Wildfires also broke out in East Sussex’s Ashdown Forest, the inspiration for AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh.

Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack tweeted: “It’s February! Our countryside shouldn’t be a tinderbox!”

The soaring temperatures were described as “an extreme weather event” by the Met Office and follow a particularly mild winter.

Forecasters said temperatures could peak at 20C on Wednesday but were unlikely to set a new winter record for the third consecutive day.