North West Moorland

[pwa]

The last time we had a very hot and dry summer almost all Welsh moors experienced some wild fires, as did Dartmoor and Exmoor, not to mention further north. So the current crop of fires is probably just a small taste of what we can expect if the current weather continues, which seems very likely, though it looks like Dartmoor and Exmoor should have had a soaking today. A few weeks ago there were severe wildfires in a few localities in the north-western Scottish highlands, which isolated and threatened a couple of settlements there, but this didn't make the news.

I live on the South Wales coast and have just been out for a walk. I could see across the Bristol Channel to Exmoor and if they are getting the same weather as us they will have had a few hours of very light rain. Not enough to wet the ground to any depth, and the forecast for the coming week is dry. I doubt Exmoor is safe yet.

[Cyril Haearn]

How do fires start? Are discarded glass bottles a significant cause? Discarded cigarettes, smouldering camp fires?

[Bonefishblues]

That and Firestarters. Twisted Firestarters.

[Cyril Haearn]

That and Firestarters. Twisted Firestarters.

They need to be weeded out before they do any mischief and given help, but how?

[PH]

How do fires start? Are discarded glass bottles a significant cause? Discarded cigarettes, smouldering camp fires?

Started in all those ways, though the way some of the moors are managed for grouse shooting makes the fire and it's spread more likely.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... sport-land

[eileithyia]

How do fires start? Are discarded glass bottles a significant cause? Discarded cigarettes, smouldering camp fires?

There was an implication a few days ago of a burned out motorcycle possibly starting Saddleworth... but not see any confirmation... One commentator hinted a group of lads had been in the vicinity of the initial fire on motorbikes and there were a lot of discarded cigarette ends...

Certainly I used to live higher up on the hillside of Winter than I do now and we regularly had cars dumped and fired along the lane... so one possibility.

Others are those camping out in this weather, campfires, BBQ's, glass... who knows. But the big concern is the transmitter and various communications aerials up on the summit. We currently have forces from Warks and Notts helping, Warks have admitted their communications come via the Winter Hill installations... So could have a profound effect if it reaches the installations.

[Bonefishblues]

And yet in other upland regions where man has cleared the land (that would be pretty much all of them, then) monoculture "makes" the picturesque landscape. I'm thinking Lake District, Scottish Highlands, Yorkshire Moors, Wales, the West Country. Is it because rich people shoot grouse that the ire is being directed thus, as opposed to honest, hard-working but poor upland sheep farmers, I wonder?

[Cyril Haearn]

We have horse riders, sailors, climbers, motorcyclists on these fora..
Is anyone looking forward to the Glorious Twelfth?

[Bonefishblues]

A Mr G Rouse recently wrote quite a strong letter to The Times expressing his dissatisfaction, I recall.

[Ontherivet77]

There's been reports of head the balls setting other fires (in the MEN) whilst the emergency services are trying to put out the current one. It beggars belief, the stupidity of people. Strangely, the smell of smoke was worse in my garden when Saddleworth was ablaze than Rivington, despite the fact I can see Winter Hill from my house.
Regards, Wales I've not heard about any fires, where is it?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newsmanc ... ar-AAzrix2

[Vorpal]

Fires can start spontaneously

In the US great efforts were made to suppress them but that unbalanced the ecosystem, it was batter to allow them to burn, then the woods could regenerate

Bit different over there mind, a bit more space and fewer people

They don't usually suppress them. They just try to contain them to keep them from spreading. There may be more space and population density may be lower, but the wildfires in North America can affect vast areas. Last summer, in British Columbia, more than 12000 sq. km burned in wildfires. That land area is almost 1/10th the total land area of England.

Wildfires can be good for the local ecology, but they're not good for the environment. https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... te-change/

[pwa]

There's been reports of head the balls setting other fires (in the MEN) whilst the emergency services are trying to put out the current one. It beggars belief, the stupidity of people. Strangely, the smell of smoke was worse in my garden when Saddleworth was ablaze than Rivington, despite the fact I can see Winter Hill from my house.
Regards, Wales I've not heard about any fires, where is it?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newsmanc ... ar-AAzrix2

Fires at Cwm Rheidol, Rhondda and near Maesteg, but nothing on the scale of Winter Hill or Saddleworth.

[PDQ Mobile]

In Gwynedd too.

[crazydave789]

How do fires start? Are discarded glass bottles a significant cause? Discarded cigarettes, smouldering camp fires?

a long time ago they scrambled us to fight a fire on east falkland. we have no idea whether one of the patrols started it or how long it had been going but peat fires are a git to deal with and we were there for hours. we used to get a lot of range fires as well from stray rounds setting the grass alight sometimes from the muzzle blast from our weapons.

locally what they call quarry hill has been set alight twice last week, most likely kids for that one though.

a common cause of moorland fires is cigarettes thrown from car windows.

[Mick F]

Arsonist 22 year old man is helping police with their enquiries I believe.
Winter Hill/Rivington.

Mentioned on the R4 news this morning, and as we have relations Up North there, that is what they are telling us too.