Fire alert as wind changes direction on fourth day of huge Saddleworth moorland blaze

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Residents living near a huge moorland blaze were today urged to close their windows and doors as the wind changed direction.

Several hot spots remain on a section of moorland near Greater Manchester after a huge blaze ripped through the area. Today, as firefighters spent their fourth day tackling the blaze at Meltham Moor, near Saddleworth, people living nearby were urged to act as the wind changed direction and threatened homes in Meltham.

The blaze was around 4km in size at its height, with ten pumps used to tackle the fire. Crews have spent a fourth day at the scene, off Wessendenhead Road in Meltham, having first been called on Tuesday morning. READ MORE: Man dies as fire tears through home in south Manchester Fire service bosses said on Thursday afternoon the fire front was out but a ‘significant number of hot spots’ remain over several kilometres of moorland.

Crews remain at the scene tonight. In an update on Friday evening, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) said on X: "ADVICE: A change in the direction of the wind has meant that smoke from the Meltham Moor fire is now blowing directly towards the town. "All residents are being asked to please keep their doors and windows shut." Temperatures in the area are set to fall with a change of rainfall during the night, according to the Met Office.