Fire crews will be at Saddleworth Moor until well into the weekend

The scene on Saddleworth Moor earlier today

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service say their crews will remain at Saddleworth Moor until tomorrow evening (Saturday) at least while they continue to battle the major fire which has destroyed large parts of grassland.

Around 100 military personnel are still tackling the fire with fire fighters who say they’re facing around six pockets of flames spread out over a seven-square mile patch of land.

Manchester Fire Service issued an update this morning confirming that not much has changed on Saddleworth Moor overnight with crews working to limit the fire from spreading.

In all 24 fire engines have been used to try and tackle the blaze, which first started on Sunday night before reigniting during the early hours of Monday morning.

Other equipment has also been used including paddles the try and beat the fire out and Greater Manchester Fire Service also posted a video on social media showing on of the helicopters drafted in to help, picking up water from a reservoir before heading off to dump it on the grassland.

It’s expected the fires will burn for much of the weekend.

However, Fire bosses have warned that if the direction of the wind changes it could cause more problems by blowing the flames onto grassland which has been left tinder box dry by days of hot weather.

To make things worse for those tackling the blaze, the heatwave is expected to continue well into next week with no rain forecast until at least Friday (July 6).

Meanwhile, it has emerged that fire crews also had to deal with yet another moor fire last night (Thursday), on Crompton Moor above Oldham.

Crews were called at 10.11pm to a fire in around 400msq of land, after receiving a number of different calls from the public.

The blaze, which was affecting an area of heather and bracken on a steep incline, was extinguished quickly by fire fighters, who stayed in the area to damp it down fully.

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