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Army is put on standby while firefighters battle four-mile ‘BELT OF FIRE’ on Saddleworth Moor after homes are evacuated and thousands are told to stay indoors as massive flames rage for a FOURTH day

Fire crews will launch a ‘heavy attack’ to combat a vast moorland blaze which led to the evacuation of a number of homes.

A major incident was declared this morning as a ‘belt of fire’ continues to burn across a four-mile area of Saddleworth Moor.

Some 50 firefighters are working in ‘tremendously difficult conditions’ to contain the situation amid the ongoing heatwave.

Among the affected areas is the village of Carrbrook, in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, where 34 households in the Calico Crescent area were evacuated on Tuesday night as a precaution when strong winds pushed flames near their properties.

Engulfed: Photographs taken by air on Monday evening show the amount of smoke rising from the moorlands

'Challenging conditions': This morning firefighters could be seen hacking away at moorlands as they desperately try to access the growing fire — ‘Challenging conditions’: This morning firefighters could be seen hacking away at moorlands as they desperately try to access the growing fire

Dangerous: Last night 34 homes had to be evacuated when the fire quickly spread across the baking hot moorland

Mapped: Police have evacuated 34 homes in the village of Carrbrook, at the foot of the moors, while 50 firefighters tackle a 'four mile belt of fire' running down the west side of the moorland — Mapped: Police have evacuated 34 homes in the village of Carrbrook, at the foot of the moors, while 50 firefighters tackle a ‘four mile belt of fire’ running down the west side of the moorland

Where is Saddleworth Moor?

The moor takes its name from the parish of Saddleworth to the west, historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire although it is on the western side of the Pennines, but a part of Greater Manchester since 1974.

The moor straddles the metropolitan boroughs of Oldham in Greater Manchester and Kirklees in West Yorkshire. Moorland east of the county boundary with West Yorkshire is known as Wessenden Moor and Wessenden Head Moor.

The moor is crossed by the A635 between the Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire Urban Areas.

A major incident was declared and the Army remains on standby as Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service put in a plan of action to douse the fire which initially broke out on Sunday afternoon before it reignited the following day and has since worsened.

Leon Parkes, GMFRS assistant chief fire officer, said: ‘Fire crews have been working in tremendously difficult conditions in the heat and smoke.

‘We are doing an assessment on the scene this morning and then we will be putting a plan of attack together for the rest of the day.

‘We’ve got over six kilometres of affected area – there is fire occurring in pockets around the outskirts. So we have got a belt of fire and obviously the wind direction at the time will have an affect on that.

‘The seats of fire are not where we can access. We are having to park fire engines up and some of the fire scenes are two miles away so we are having to use other vehicles supplied by our partner agencies to transport firefighters and kit into those areas.

‘The plan today is to try and really, really put some resource on the scene and put a heavy attack on this fire, and if that needs military assistance then that’s what we’ll consider.’

Dramatic: Photographs taken last night show flames engulfing the popular beauty spot between Dovestones and Buckton Vale in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester

Briefing: Some of the 50 firefighters gather on a nearby housing estate before heading back into the hills to continue their efforts

Bird's eye view: The fire on Saddleworth Moor viewed from a police helicopter circling above — Bird’s eye view: The fire on Saddleworth Moor viewed from a police helicopter circling above

Mr Parkes added: ‘This fire is particularly large. We’ve got lots of experience with dealing with moor fires but this particular incident is vast – it’s presented some real challenges to the fire and rescue service in terms of our access, the conditions for firefighters that they have been working in and obviously the wind encourages the fire to spread.

‘We have been dealing with an escalating incident and we are trying to get on top of it now.’

In Carrbrook, the morning sun struggled to break through with smoke still hanging thick in the air and ash floating to the ground.

Paula Tootell, who lives in Calico Crescent, said her neighbours were evacuated while she was told by police to keep her windows and doors shut and stay inside until they were told to move out as the flames raged nearby.

Ms Tootell said: ‘The hills were on fire, it came closer and closer to the properties. Lots of fire engines arrived, we were told that they were putting pipes all around the estate for safety really.

‘Houses across the road and further in, nearer to the fields, were evacuated and we were told to be on alert.

‘We could see lots of flames on the hills and the whole of the hills was just red. It was bizarre, and so much smoke, you couldn’t see in front of your face at some points.

Precaution: Firefighters dampen down fields nearby to stop the spread of the fire

A man covers his face with a scarf as smoke fills the streets in Mossley, around five miles from the site of the fire

'Pockets of fire': Fire chief Leon Parkes said the blaze was unusual with numerous fires spanning a four mile stretch of moorland — ‘Pockets of fire’: Fire chief Leon Parkes said the blaze was unusual with numerous fires spanning a four mile stretch of moorland

She added: ‘The whole of the hill was just on flame, like a bid red ring around the hills. You could see flames literally along the whole of the hill.’

It is thought that affected residents stayed with family and friends last night, although accommodation assistance was offered by Tameside Council.

On Facebook, Greater Manchester Police’s Saddleworth division posted that an estimated 2,000 acres of moorland had been destroyed in the fire which had spread as far as Tintwistle in Derbyshire.

Some 65,000 gallons of water had been dropped by helicopter by Tuesday afternoon to fight the fire which was ‘unprecedented in recent times and has been devastating to the moorland and the wildlife that live there’, it added.

The exact cause of the blaze has not been established, said the fire service.

Firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze on Saddleworth Moors threatening nearby houses. The wildfires started on Sunday evening and have continued for 48 hours

Greater Manchester Police said 34 homes have been evacuated so far as strong winds drive the flames closer to residential areas.

The force tweeted: ‘We are in contact with the Army and they are on standby to help if we need them.’

Images posted on social media showed bright orange flames lighting the night sky, while smoke from the fire can be seen for miles.

No injuries have been reported as a result of the fire, but people living nearby have been advised to keep windows and doors closed by Public Health England.

Tameside Council said that two schools – Mossley Hollins High and Buckton Vale Primary – will be closed due to the ongoing fire.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service group manager for Tameside, Phil Nelson, said: ‘Crews are still tackling this difficult fire and are working hard to contain the blaze and prevent further fire spread.

‘Firefighters are faced with very difficult circumstances, intense heat and are working on challenging terrain.

‘Our main considerations are for crew welfare. It is physically draining working at this incident and it is vital that our firefighters have regular breaks and that relief crews are available to take over.’

Dramatic photographs show the fire in full swing on Tuesday night as the blaze roars for its fourth day

Flames illuminated the skies last night as Greater Manchester Fire Service battled to get the moorland blaze under control

Meanwhile the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham thanked fire crews.

He tweeted: ‘Huge thanks to the GM firefighters working flat out to contain this worrying situation.’

Smoke can be seen from more than 20 miles away from the fires which have raged since Sunday evening.

Temperatures are expected to hit 91.4F today with the hot weather expected to last until the weekend.

According to Rachel West of the Met Office, the high temperatures expected to continue until the weekend.

She said: ‘Wednesday and Thursday will be very hot and sunny, we’re likely to see highs of 86.1F (31C) in parts of the country and there is a small chance we could see 89.6F (32C).

‘On Friday temperatures tail off a bit in the north and east but it will still be very warm and the fine weather will continue on Saturday.’

Police patrolled the streets in case the nearby homes had to be quickly evacuated

Tristan Manchester set up his camera to take photographs of the fire on Saddleworth moor

Mr Manchester took some 990 images of the fire over the course of almost four hours

His camera took a photograph every ten seconds to show the spread of the fire

Huge areas of the countryside were covered in smoke due to the lack of breeze in the area

Firefighters have spent more than 48 hours tackling the blazes across the moors

Fire crews – including several specialist wildlife units – were first scrambled to the remote scene at around 8pm on Sunday evening.

Then on Tuesday, a helicopter was deployed to drop water on the fire to augment the firefighters on the ground.

Tameside Council and Public Health England have issued health warnings to those living nearby.

The fire started again on Monday morning, due to the warm weather and light winds. The fire has continued to burn overnight and firefighters remain at the scene.

The fire is in a remote area on the hills and it took crews some time to access it.

A spokesperson for Tameside Council said: ‘Residents in areas affected by smoke should stay indoors, keep their doors and windows closed, and tune in to the local radio station for advice and information.

Officials thought they had beaten the fire on Sunday night, but it reignited on Monday

‘Motorists who have to travel through the smoke should keep windows closed, turn off air conditioning and keep their air vents closed.

‘If people need to be outdoors, they are advised to avoid areas affected by any smoke or ash, or to limit the time that they spend in them.

‘Smoke can irritate air passages, the skin and the eyes leading to coughing and wheezing, breathlessness and chest pain.

‘It can also worsen existing problems such as asthma and people with asthma should carry their inhaler with them at all times.

‘Anyone concerned about their symptoms should contact their GP or NHS Direct.’

Public Health England North West aid: ‘Residents affected by the fire are advised that if smoke if visible outside to keep windows and doors closed.

‘Motorists who have to travel through the smoke should keep windows closed, turn off air condition and keep air vents closed.

‘Anyone with respiratory conditions may be susceptible to smoke from the fire so is advised to carry and use medicaion.’

Dramatic timelapse footage captured by an amateur photographer showed the extent of the blaze.

The video – made up of 990 photos, one image taken every 10 seconds for around four hours – was captured by amateur photographer Tristan Manchester on Monday night.

Mr Manchester, 22, had set up his camera with a telephoto lens to document the inferno as it tore through moorland on Saddleworth hills, Greater Manchester.

And from his vantage point in the loft of his Heyrod home, he was perfectly placed to record the blaze as it unfolded across the valley.

His footage shows the fire ominously creeping closer to the crest of a hill, while the bright lights of Carrbrook glimmer below.

‘It was pretty scary because it was such a massive fire. It definitely looks like it’s coming down the hill towards the houses,’ said Mr Manchester, who started the recording before going to bed.

‘I’m pretty proud of the video though. It was about two miles away but it looks much closer in the video.

‘It’s so hot at the moment so anything that catches doesn’t stop burning.’

Residents have been warned to keep their doors and windows closed if they see smoke

Lee Bourne, who is the incident commander, said on Tuesday: ‘There is a concern about the amount of low lying smoke which is affecting local areas, namely Carrbrook, Greenfield and parts of Saddleworth, along with Stalybridge.

‘Due to the weather conditions and there being a lack of wind, the smoke has settled so it is important for residents to keep doors and windows closed where there is any visible smoke.’

Station Manager Dave Swallow said on Monday: ‘The fire currently involves two square kilometres of moorland between the Buckton Vale and Dovestones areas.

‘The land is well alight and crews are using Forced Air Firefighting Units, which are like industrial leaf blowers, and beaters to extinguish the flames.

‘It’s a challenging incident for our crews due to the heat and the fact that the area involved in fire is around two miles from the nearest access point.’

Dozens of firefighters – who are facing intense heat and are working on challenging terrain – are continuing to contain the blaze and prevent it spreading further.

This section of countryside is often blighted by moorland fires.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said this is the 18th time in the last year crews have been called to the area to tackle blazes.