Fire service urges the public to take extra care

Picture courtesy of @manchesterfire on Twitter

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has urged people to take extra care as it comes under intense pressure due to the ongoing moorland fires in the area and other serious incidents.

More than 100 firefighters spent yesterday (Thursday) continuing to battle moorland blazes on the hills at Saddleworth Moor, alongside troops from the Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS) who were sent to Greater Manchester over night to provide back up.

A total of 24 fire engines were on the scene along with specialist units and officers.

One hundred military personnel have deployed onto the moors and they have been assisting crews in tackling the fire.

They have made good progress and the fire remains contained and controlled at this time, with no significant developments occurring overnight.

The military again took to the scene to assist firefighters from approximately 7.30am this morning (Friday).

There are now five separate areas of fire, reduced from seven.

In addition GMFRS has been dealing with a serious fire in Rochdale and a fire on Winter Hill, along with a number of other incidents.

The Service is urging people to take extra care and keep themselves safe, particularly with the hot weather expected to continue over the next few days.

Head of Prevention for GMFRS, Area Manager Paul Etches, said: “The moorland incidents in Tameside are unprecedented and they have required a significant amount of our resources over the past few days.

“We hugely appreciate the support from other services and agencies but this incident has put us under a great deal of pressure.

“We’ve also had a number of other significant incidents and I’d like to appeal to the public to take extra care to keep themselves, their families and their property safe – particularly with the hot weather that is expected to continue over the next few days.

“We want people to enjoy the sunshine and we know there will be lots of people having barbecues and enjoying a drink while they watch the football, but this can be a recipe for disaster.

“However, please only call us in an emergency as our control room operators are extremely busy.”