A wildfire that has been burning since Thursday on Winter Hill in Lancashire is now being treated as a ‘major incident’ after it converged with another wildfire on nearby Scout Road near Bolton. More than 80 firefighters from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service who have been fighting the blaze over the past three days made a tactical withdrawal from the site on Saturday afternoon. They were not allowed up onto the moor while helicopters and drones assessed the site. However, some firefighters from the Greater Manchester Fire Service continued to fight the blaze on Scout Moor. Lancashire Fire tweeted on Saturday morning: “The fire on Winter Hill has now merged with the fire @manchesterfire were fighting on Scout Moor. “We still have 10 fire engines and the fire engines from Manchester at the scene. We advise members of the public to keep clear of the areas for their own safety.” UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21st May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on London’s Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Women’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London.<doc-sep>Fire crews are returning for a seventh day as a "rapidly developing, aggressive fire" ravages moorland across Lancashire. Two large-scale moorland fires merged on Saturday due to increasing wind speed and a major incident was declared as crews tackled the blaze. Greater Manchester Police said fires on Winter Hill and Scout Road near Bolton have merged, with pedestrians and motorists urged to stay away from the scene. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said 10 crews remained on the scene overnight, but the number was increased to 22 from 4.30am on Sunday.<doc-sep>A series of "apocalyptic" wildfires on the Pennine moors could take weeks to put out, the fire service has warned, after a second major blaze broke out just 30 miles from a fire that has raged for days. Seven square miles of Saddleworth Moor has gone up in flames, blanketing the Greater Manchester region and beyond in smoke and ash. Fire chiefs are considering setting fire to Saddleworth to create brakes to stop the out-of-control blaze, amid fears that trapped industrial pollution in the peat could be released into the air. Scottish soldiers from the 100-strong A Company of the 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, known as the Highlanders, have joined more than 100 firefighters who have been battling the blaze since Sunday, leading to a "significant improvement". Meanwhile, a new moorland blaze - on Winter Hill, near Rivington, Lancashire - broke out on Thursday with huge plumes of smoke visible from the area surrounding the moorland. Fifteen fire engines from Lancashire Fire and Rescue spent the night on the moors preventing the fire, near Bolton, from spreading further.<doc-sep>
A major incident has been declared after two large-scale moorland fires merged. People have been forced to flee their homes as hundreds of firefighters battle to put out what has now become one large blaze. More than 100 firefighters are battling the fire in the West Pennine Moors, north of Bolton, after authorities declared a major incident. Helicopters are being used in the frantic effort to stop the flames, amid fears a nearby radio mast which serves more than six million people will be damaged, the Manchester Evening News reports. Fire service chiefs have requested military assistance, three days after the fire broke out on Thursday. Armed troops battling a blaze on Saddleworth Moor could now be shifted to aid the effort, it is being reported. Lancashire Police said later that a 21-year-old man from Bolton has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. He has since been "released under investigation". It comes just days after a massive fire broke out on Saddleworth Moor, which has covered an area of more than seven-square-miles between Tameside and Oldham, and the operation to put it out is expected to last into next week. The latest fire covers an area of between six and eight kilometres, which has been described as a "vast" site. (Image: PA) (Image: PA) Lancashire Fire Service has urged people to stop heading to the moors in an effort to help. In a tweet, it wrote: "We’re really concerned that members of the public are heading up onto the moors. We really appreciate your offer to help but public safety is a priority and we ask people to stay away. "Keeping windows and doors closed due to the smoke is also advised. Thank you." Today it confirmed that it was increasing the number of crews at the site and there are 22 fire engines in attendance. The major incident has been called because the fire is close to the Winter Hill mast, which reaches more than six million people, providing TV stations in the North West. (Image: PA) (Image: PA) Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russell, said: “This is a developing, aggressive fire at the moment which is presenting us with a number of challenges. “For a number of days now we’ve had what have essentially been two moorland fires on either side of Winter Hill, one on the Lancashire side and one on the Manchester side. “At around midday today the incident on the Manchester side, particularly, was accelerated by increased wind speeds and has accelerated at a speed which connected the two. And at the moment we now have one single fire. “To put that in perspective, around 48 hours ago those fires were separated by an area of about a mile. “So the size and the geography of the area covered by the fire is what causes us the greatest challenge.” (Image: PA) (Image: Manchester Evening News) Assistant chief officer Dave Russel said emergency services have asked for a ‘small number of homes’ to be evacuated on the Greater Manchester side. The fires on Winter Hill, above Chorley, and Horrocks Farm at Scout Road, to the north of Bolton, are now being treated as one incident. Crews were first called shortly after 3pm on Thursday afternoon and found a 1km squared area of peat land and grass was burning. Earlier this week Manchester Fire Service warned that crews were "extremely busy" and urged people not to call 999 unless it was an emergency. (Image: PA) (Image: PA) (Image: PA) Operations had to be stepped down overnight for safety reasons, but firefighters returned at 4.30am when dawn broke on Friday. Now Greater Manchester Police has put road closures in place to allow emergency services access to the site, and for public safety.