A man who started a huge three-day moor fire after setting off a firework to impress his girlfriend has been jailed. Viktor Riedly, 28, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for torching 285 hectares of Marsden Moor, between Oldham and Huddersfield, on April 25 2021, YorkshireLive reports.
At its height the blaze was a mile-long and 100 firefighters were needed to tackle it. Leeds Crown Court heard Riedly, of Henry Street, Huddersfield, had intended to record the bang caused by the firecracker he had hauled to the top of the moor. READ MORE: Chippy and takeaway owners warned over ‘strange’ new crime trend But when the stunt backfired he tried to extinguish the blaze with a two-litre bottle of water and threw mud at it in a bid to stop it spreading.
The fire was declared a major incident with crews coming from across West Yorkshire to bring it under control. The fire service declared the incident over three days later, on the morning of Wednesday 28 April.
The fire caused widespread damage to Marsden Moor, which is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). It destroyed precious peatland habitat and harmed wildlife including ground nesting birds.
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