Dramatic images of fire damage on Saddleworth Moor

Pictures courtesy of Paul Fearnhead on Twitter

With firefighters and members of the army continuing to battle to bring the massive fire on Saddleworth Moor under control, dramatic new pictures have been released showing the extent of damage the fire has caused.

The aerial photographs have been posted on social media by Paul Fearnhead, Group Manager at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, showing how the fire has almost entirely circled Swineshaw Reservoir.

Yesterday (Wednesday) police and fire investigators announced they were looking into the cause of the blaze and treating it as a possible arson attack.

At its height the blaze needed hundreds of fire fighters from across Greater Manchester with 100 military personnel also being drafted in along with a Chinook helicopter being placed on standby while they battled to bring the fire under control.

It’s believed to have started between Dovestone Reservoir and Buckton Vale on Sunday night (June 24) with a second blaze beginning during the early hours of Monday morning (June 25).

Over the course of Monday, the fire took hold of the tinder box dry grassland, eventually covering over seven square miles.

It caused huge plumes of smoke to cover large areas of Greater Manchester with schools, roads and other buildings being closed as a result.

Currently 12 crews from Greater Manchester Fire Service remain on Saddleworth Moor tackling the fire, two helicopters from United Utilities are also being used to dump water on the grassland with army support expected to be continuing until at least tomorrow (Friday).

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