PICTURES: 'Soul destroying' fire causes damage to Peak District landcape and habitats
Conservationists have called for increased awareness after a recent fire devastated two square kilometres of wildlife habitats in the Peak District.
The fire at Howden Moor was extinguished within only a few hours thanks to the joint efforts of fire and rescue services from Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, as well as rangers, tenants, and the Eastern Moors Partnership - however it was more than enough time to devastate the landscape.
Major damage was caused to vegetation, trees and fencing, which is expected to affect wildlife in what is an already unseasonably warm spring.
It is still unknown what caused the latest fire on Howden Moor, however conservation charity National Trust have pointed out that many fires of this nature are caused by people - whether deliberately or by accident.
The charity has issued an urgent plea to protect these important habitats, claiming that under no circumstances should fires be lit on nature reserves, specifically calling out the use of disposable barbecues.
Craig Best, the National Trust’s General Manager in the Peak District, said: "The Howden Moor fire, along with recent wild fires across the country, are a stark reminder of how rapidly fire can spread and the immense damage that can be caused.
“As a conservation charity, we look after nature, beauty and history for everyone to enjoy.
“We do this with the support of staff, volunteers, members, and donors.
“The land in our care contains spectacular landscapes, National Nature Reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and significant wildlife habitats.
“To see some of that work go up in smoke is soul destroying.
“Protecting special places like the Peak District for future generations is paramount and we need visitors to play their part too and never use barbecues or light fires within the Peak District and always take litter home.”
The National Trust is already making headway in increasing protections to the Peaks by restoring 5000 hectares of peatland.
This work will see a return of healthy blanket bog which helps to hold water on the moors, creating wetter conditions across wide areas of moorland which are more resilient to climate change and the risk of fire.
To do this work they are building dams in gullies to help bog pools form and planting sphagnum moss and a range of other moorland plant species.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue (DFRS), who helped respond to this recent incident, have also put together a list of precautions visitors can take to avoid fires, including properly disposing of litter and cigarette ends and reporting fires immediately to 999.
Kay Simcox, Risk Reduction Manager for DFRS, said: "During warm weather, the ground can be dry enough for a discarded cigarette, glass bottle or unauthorised barbecue to cause a fire that can quickly spread.
“Please take steps to prevent incidents and keep safe by following some simple safety advice.”
“If you do spot an uncontrolled fire in the open countryside, or you see large volumes of smoke, get to a safe area and call 999, giving as much detail about the fire’s location as possible.
“If you are in a remote area, using an app such as What3words will give emergency services an exact location.
“Do not put yourself at any risk by tackling a fire.”
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