Wildfire burning one month on is 'the size of a small town'

Wildfire burning one month on is 'the size of a small town'Image source, Derby Mountain Rescue TeamImage caption, Firefighters have been stationed on the Peak District moorland near Glossop for more than a month with no end in sightByIsaac AsheEast MidlandsPublished1 minute agoAs darkness set in over the Peak District one Wednesday night in June, calls started to come in to Derbyshire's fire service over smoke starting to rise from the moorland overlooking the town.More than a month on, the Tintwistle Moor fire is now a sprawling, smouldering blaze the size of a small town, which can be seen from space.Declared a major incident on 13 July, it has come in tandem with a prolonged spell of hot, dry weather that shows little sign of easing soon, pushing the country's firefighting resources to their limits.Now Dr Kirsten Lees, environmental sciences lecturer, specialising in zero carbon at the University of Derby, has told the BBC Tintwistle is on a par with the biggest wildfires ever seen in England - and it's still burning.When questioned about her assertion the fire could be one of the largest in recent memory in England, she said: "It may well be, yes."Image source, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue ServiceImage caption, Dozens of firefighters are still fighting the fire more than one month on She added: "Honestly, it's upsetting and it's really scary."In the most recent years, we had Saddleworth in 2018. We had Fylingdales up in the North York Moors last year. And this is comparable in scale to both of those."My estimate is that it is about the size of a small town. As this is not out yet, we don't know how much bigger it's going to get."Analysis of data from the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis) by BBC Verify estimates the fire, which first began on 24 June, has burned 606 hectares (1,630 acres) - equivalent to 900 football pitches.This is larger than the footprint of Hadfield, one of...