Major wildfire rips through moorland close to Greater Manchester

A major wildfire close to Greater Manchester has torn through large areas of moorland for more than 24 hours, forcing road closures and smoke warnings as fire crews battle to bring it under control.The blaze, on Tintwistle Moor, near Glossop, has burned an area of more than 500 square metres of moorland and woodland, with thick plumes of smoke directly affecting the villages of Tintwistle, Hollingworth and Woolley Bridge.Dramatic drone footage posted on social media by Derbyshire fire and rescue service shows a dense area of woodland rapidly burning as smoke pours into the sky.Since breaking out about 10pm on Wednesday, a water-dropping helicopter, as well as six fire engines and various moorland support teams, have been drafted in, with fire crews saying they expect to remain on the scene overnight on Thursday as they try to halt the blaze.Residents in areas as far away as Bolton, Crumpsall, Bury, Oldham and Rochdale have reported a strong smell of smoke, while ash has been landing in gardens and on cars across the region.Warnings to avoid the area have been issued with people urged to keep windows and doors shut.The Woodhead Pass (A628) – a major route connecting Manchester and South Yorkshire over the Pennines – is closed in both directions while emergency services continue to try to bring the wildfire under control. According to National Highways, the busy route is closed between the A57 for Hollingworth and the A616 for Flouch.“Traffic travelling from further afield may wish to use alternative trans-pennine routes such as M1, M62 and M60,” the service said.The fire comes as the UK swelters in record June temperatures with severe high temperature warnings issued for much of the country, including Manchester and Derbyshire.Derbyshire fire and rescue service said: “The fire is affecting approximately 500 square metres of moorland and woodland. Wildfires like this require a huge response and people are asked to keep this in mind as the warm weather continues.“The ground is tinder dry and the slightest spark from a campfire, a tiny burning ember from a barbecue, or a flake of ash from a discarded cigarette could soon escalate to a major incident so please act responsibly.”The UK Health Security Agency has extended its red heat-health alert to 11pm on Friday. It is only the second red alert ever issued by the agency. The Met Office also extended its red alert for south-east England until 9pm on Friday.