Langdale Moor wildfire on North York Moors 'contained'

Twelve fire appliances and a helicopter remain on Langdale Moor as crews work to make the area, measuring around ten square miles (25 square kilometres), safe.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said on Friday afternoon (August 29) that the fire had been contained, 18 days after the blaze started.

Fire crews, farmers and gamekeepers have been working together to tackle the fire, which has closed roads, a campsite and diverted coast-to-coast walkers.

Ten additional crews and specialist resources had started to arrive in North Yorkshire on Thursday following a request from the county’s fire chief, Jonathan Dyson.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Mr Dyson said: "The cause of the fire investigation is still ongoing, and will be reported in due course."

He said tackling the wildfire would have been a "significant incident for any fire and rescue service" but "North Yorkshire is a small fire and rescue service which is predominantly rural".

The service has "extensive staff" from its on call firefighters, he said, adding: "I also want to thank their families who support this and their primary employers who have released them to continue providing firefighting provision throughout this incident."

On Friday morning Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said the area had experienced heavy rainfall and she was “hoping that today is another good day for the firefighting effort”.

“There is a helicopter over the Flask Inn area today which is good news as everyone wants the A171 reopened,” the MP said.

“The Victoria Hotel in Robin Hood's Bay along with thousands of other businesses are still ready to welcome visitors for the last weekend of summer.”

The Langdale Moor wildfire (Image: Yorkshire Visions Media) She added: “I am incredibly proud to represent and live in a community which has shown incredible resilience, fortitude and bravery.

“Thank you to the firefighters, farmers, businesses, local residents and everyone who are working to keep us safe.”

Earlier in the week, landowners said efforts to contain the moorland fire had been hampered by unexploded Second World War ordnance.

Emergency services battle to contain the fire which has been burning through Langdale Moor for three weeks (Image: Charley Atkins/SWNS) The North York Moors Moorland Association, which is a collection of upland estates, said the “massive” amount of smoke in the air had been causing them problems.

“It is not just the extreme heat and smoke conditions but the increased risk of exploding WW2 bombs that are causing additional problems, and so the necessity of other methods is having to be implemented,” the organisation posted on social media.

It was understood that British tanks used part of the affected moor as a range during the Second World War.

Meanwhile, David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, has said the wildfire is “a devastating reminder of the importance of strong communities”.

"Our firefighters have been working around the clock for two weeks,” he wrote in The Press.

“Earlier this week, the combination of hot weather and strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly.

The mayor added: “Once again, people are coming together to tackle an immense challenge.

"It may surprise many to learn that almost half of our firefighters are on-call or volunteers.

“They hold other jobs but respond when emergencies arise. In this case, many employers have released staff for two weeks so they can battle the blaze.

“To those employers, and to the firefighters themselves, I want to say a heartfelt thank you.”