How long might the Tintwistle Moor wildfire burn for?

A large wildfire that broke out on Derbyshire's Tintwistle Moor nearly three weeks ago has now been declared a major incident.

But why has the situation escalated and what happens next?

Fire crews were first called to the moorland blaze at Tintwistle Moor, above Woodhead Road in Glossop, just after 22:00 BST on 24 June.

The wildfire coincided with a major heatwave, which saw record June temperatures recorded in parts of the country.

At that point, the fire service said the fire was affecting an area of about 400 sq m, with six crews and a water carrier working to bring the blaze under control.

People were urged to avoid the area, and those living nearby were advised to keep their doors and windows closed.

Watch: Drone footage - filmed last month - showed the scale of the moorland wildfire

Efforts to tackle the wildfire continued for more than a week, with drone support provided by Derby Mountain Rescue Team, before crews left the scene on 2 July while damping down continued at the site.

However, as a new heatwave arrived, firefighters hurried back to the moor on Thursday following reports of "flare-ups within the areas already burnt".

Then on Sunday, the fire service declared the wildfire a "major incident" - with an area of moorland and woodland about 260 hectares (642 acres) affected.

Why was it declared a major incident?

Deputy chief fire officer Clive Stanbrook said the major incident declaration came after high winds and extreme heat led to the fire spreading further.

"The reason we declared a major incident was just the scale of resources this is taking, not only from ourselves - we had 12 fire appliances the other day - but also from smaller partners," he said.

"We've got the RSPB [Royal Society for the Protection of Birds], we've got United Utilities, mountain rescue. We've got an extensive list of partners that we're working with at the moment."

Stanbrook told the BBC the cause of the fire was currently unknown.

However, he said the service was commonly having to deal with fires in the area that had been started accidentally by visitors.

"If people think it's sensible to bring barbecues and put out cigarettes and any sort of naked flame up here, when we haven't had rain for weeks and it's absolutely tinder dry, this is the sort of damage it causes.

"I would implore people not to do anything like that.

"We appreciate it's a beautiful area, it really is, however any fires like this cause generational damage to the rare wildlife and the habitats around," Stanbrook added.

Is it unusual for wildfires to burn this long?

Stanbrook said while the service had not expected this particular wildfire to persist for so long, it was not uncommon for them to last for several weeks.

"This is not unusual by any means," he said. "I remember being here in 2018 and that was exactly 28 days from start to finish at Tintwistle.

"When we get a large-scale wildfire like this, we expect to be here for the long run."

He added he did not know how long they would be dealing with the current fire.

What about other areas of the UK?

Tintwistle is one of three major wildfires keeping crews busy on the back of the latest UK heatwave.

In Conwy in north Wales, a mountain wildfire that broke out on Sunday forced people in a rural community to evacuate their homes, and a moorland fire near Dovestone Reservoir in Greater Manchester led to a woman being arrested on suspicion of arson

Meanwhile, further wildfires over the weekend also affected Hampshire, Durham, West Sussex, East Sussex, Devon and Somerset.

With 10 fire engines at Tintwistle Moor on Monday afternoon, crews are doing what they can to stop the wildfire getting any bigger.

Stanbrook said: "The wind is ever-changing, so there's no let-up from some of the fire spread.

"We're cutting away and putting two firebreaks into the west to make sure it doesn't spread any more overnight and we're doing the same to the east just so it doesn't get to the Pennine Way.

"We've had reports of some of the fire fronts spreading at about 10 metres a minute."

He added they had a resourcing plan up to Sunday, but would see how things went on a "day-to-day basis".

"Hopefully the weather will be kind, the wind will be kind and we can get on top of it," Stanbrook added.

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