Moorland Fire

I don't know Chewbaccabut I hope he gets a very long spell in prison!!!

A fire started this morning on a large expanse of grassland and woods very close to us in North Essex. The grass had grown to shoulder height. It was mowed and baled up yesterday so the bone dry cuttings would have ignited easily. I think the fire brigade have it under control as the smell seems to have abated.
We desperately need rain all over the country.

Local news in the area of Winter Hill report that the police helicopter spotted fire setting close to where fire fighters are trying to contain the blaze.

Do you mean fires were being set deliberately Iam64, ot have I misunderstood? Really hope I've misunderstood.

Iam64 yes just heard,my son rang me,what sort of bloody morons would start more fires!!! Our firemen are already stretched and risking their lives,we have firemen also now from South Wales and Warickshire..the destruction is horrendous and now raving lunatics are seen setting more fires...OMG...

Sorry Chewbacca, I'm half watching the footie, so posting even more incoherently than usual. Yes, as Fairview confirmed, we seem to have an outbreak of fire setters. the initial fire on Winter Hill was, the police believe, set deliberately. A young man was arrested, he's been released pending further enquiries. Earlier today the police helicopter crew report having seen someone setting fires not far from where fire crews and others are trying to contain the current fire.
It's heart breaking and infuriating. It's also a very serious offence. Arson carries a life sentence. I do hope if they get the perpetrators, that's what the court imposes. Serve the minimum 8 years and stay on licence for the rest of their sorry lives.

This being a public forum; I'm unable to say what I'd like to do to the cretins who who have set the fires. but it would be painful.

The smell from our burning moorland is really bad this morning,another hot day for our amazing firefighters.the wildlife loss is beyond imagination.....

We went to a family party on Saturday so drove over the M62. We had a grandstand view of Winter Hill and the huge clouds of smoke from our hotel.
Horrendous.
I couldn’t believe that there are such cretinous people out there. When I first heard that motorbikers were responsible I presumed that sparks from the exhaust had caused it.
On our return we noticed that there was a track quite close to the motorway that 2 young men/women were zooming round.

This morning, the news arrived that idiots have been deliberately starting even more fires up on the moors, so now the police have to spend precious time there attempting to apprehend them!
I don't think the police should arrest them though, far better to leave them there, handcuffed to a metal stake. If they want to see a moorland fire, let them see one up close and personal!
They're more than happy to risk the lives of others, so let's see how they feel when it's their lives!
We'd only be helping the cause of Darwinism after all!

Juggernaut✓✓

Unbelievable anyone could do that. I hope they are charged with endangering the lives of all the firefighters, forces personnel and volunteers who are out there risking their lives.
It's difficult to comprehend what the conditions must be like for all those brave people.
I hope things can be brought under control soon.

My weather app for the next ten days predicts no change at all. Today, in NE Cheshire, south of Manchester, the temperature is well up in the 20s and there's a pleasant breeze, but not so pleasant for the firefighters not so very far away. I'm reminded inexorably of 1976 when there were many grass and heathland fires, but nothing of quite the extent of the Lancashire fires.

It really does make you wonder what goes on in the heads of some morons.
The firefighters are amazing, hope they all get some recognition when it's all over.
What I cannot understand is why more of the forces haven't been called in to help them. If something happens abroad hundreds of them fly off to help out, here about a 100 are sent. Watching those poor fireman beating away at the flames while a few feet away more is burning, what a task.
We had rain during the night, I do wish it had gone northwards.

"We had rain during the night, I do wish it had gone northwards."
Same here. That's the only answer (imo).

This may be a first for me but I wish your rain had travelled to our moorlands jusnoneed. Soda pop I wonder if the charges you suggest carry a harsher sentence than arson? Arson carries a life sentence, should be eight years with a life licence. I hope the police can identify, arrest and successfully prosecute. We’d want the Judge to sentence the heaviest penalty.
What ever is the matter with people who set fires alongside firefighters battling to contain them

Oh also wish your rain would arrive here,stop too much more of our beautiful moorland being destroyed,have heard that the guy who was arrested has been released..but someone,somewhere must know the bloody moron who did this!!!(sorry re swearing) am sad and angry,those firefighters truly deserve recognition,saw a picture of one holding a little bird that he'd rescued in the midst of all the destruction,even typing this is making me cry,we must have lost so much wildlife it's hard to comprehend,thank you gransnetters near and far..for caring

Perhaps they should make the culprits who start these fires join the fire brigade on the front line to help put it out. Can't see that putting them in prison for a few weeks will solve anything.

If convicted arson carries a life sentence with life license on release. It isn’t a slap on the wrist offende

An Australian man wrote a letter to the I today saying UK firefighters have little experience of dealing with these sorts of fires and that in Australia they use a completely different strategy. Not fighting fire with water but fire with fire. He said they set small fires all round the edge of the main fire to "use up the fuel".

Interesting Eloethan but is the Australian bush different than our peat filled moors I wonder. The climate in Australia is totally different than here, especially in areas that get a lot of rain onto that peat (usually)
I'm sure our firefighters are taking advice from those in areas more used to dealing with prolonged hot weather.

I'm only quoting what he said Iam. You may well be right though that the situation is completely different.

Yes, I realise that Eloethan, didn't mean my response to be snippy. I've heard a number of people on phone ins making similar comments to the Australian. We have so few prolonged periods of any 'extreme' weather, we don't have the equipment do we - like when it snows heavily.

I wonder if ‘the fuel’ they are referring to is tree and brush which, once burned, goes out, then you create a fire break. Problem with peat is you set light to it and it is still burning inside when it looks dead on the outside. We used to burn peat logs, along with coal, when we lived in Northern Ireland. You could poke a peat log that looked dead and it would fall apart to reveal its red glow inside. Exposed to air, this would then flame. They were very good for banking down at night.

I was also going to say that the true devastation is in the fact that once a peat habitat has been ravaged by fire it may never recover properly so continues erosion takes place as there is nothing to hold the moisture. They are not called peat bogs for nothing.