DOZENS of firefighters tackled a moorland blaze between Holme and Holme Moss over the weekend.
The fire, covering an area of about 200 sq m, started onŠSaturday afternoon on land more than a mile off the A6024 Woodhead Road.
Fire engines from Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Marsden and Slaithwaite all attended the incident.
Firefighters were at the scene for a couple of hours tackling the blaze.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.
It comes as fire chiefs issued a warning to people to look after the moorlands.
As the weather gets warmer, there are fears there may be more damage after several large fires in the past few weeks.
There was a huge blaze, measuring about 1km sq at Rishworth Moor, near Ripponden, last week after two recent fires near Marsden, at Pule Hill and Binn Moor.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is hoping to prevent a repeat of such fires.
Robin Ward, who is lead wildfire officer for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The land is particularly dry at the moment because of the lack of rain in recent weeks – so the smallest ignition source will lead to a large wildfire.
“These fires cause damage to farmland, public open spaces and wildlife and quite often they are caused by carelessness.
“While it’s great news that the spell of dry weather is set to continue, it means people should take extra care while out enjoying the countryside.
“We would also like to stress that arson is a very serious matter.
“Anyone found to have started a fire deliberately which destroys a site of special scientific interest – which includes the majority of the south Pennine moorland – could be fined up to £20,000.
“Moorland fires can take valuable firefighters and fire engines away from other serious fires, often where lives are at risk, which is why we take a very dim view of those who start fires deliberately.”
Richard Howson, Yorkshire Water’s land advisor, added: “While our reservoirs are looking really healthy at the moment, many of the catchment areas around them are very dry.
“The heather and bracken haven’t really begun to put out new shoots yet, so the dead vegetation left from last year is vulnerable to fire at this time of year, particularly if it’s dry. We request that people do not start any sort of fire.”
