Fire investigators are probing the cause of a huge moorland blaze above Dovestones Reservoir.

Firefighters and helicopters were called in after a swathe of grassland near Saddleworth caught fire as temperatures rose on Thursday.

Fire crews from across Greater Manchester were called to the scene at 2.30pm and stayed until well into the evening.

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Bank Lane in Greenfield was closed by police to allow the emergency services access.

At its height 11 fire crews, along with three wildfire units and helicopters from Oldham Mountain Rescue and an air unit from Lancashire Fire and Rescue tackled the blaze.

Firefighter tackle the moorland blaze at the foot of Saddleworth Moor. Photo: Vincent Cole MEN

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire Service said investigators will return to the moors today to try to establish how the incident started.

Incident commander Paul Fearnhead said earlier: “The crews have done a fantastic job in tackling this fire, working really hard across a huge area in difficult circumstances.”

Moorland fire at the foot of Saddleworth Moor. Photo: Matthew Lee Tierney

Ella Stacey, 27, who works nearby, called 999 when she saw the fire and told the Manchester Evening News: “It was right next to the path, which was really busy.

“When I first saw it the fire was the size of a few cars, a few minutes later it was the size of a football pitch.”