Peak District wildfire extinguished, crews say

A wildfire that broke out in Derbyshire's Peak District has been put out.

Eight fire crews were called to Beeley Moor at about 14:40 BST on Tuesday and spent several hours battling the flames.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said its teams left the scene shortly before 21:00 and put out a stop message following a reinspection at about 06:30 on Wednesday.

The fire has been blamed on a controlled burn being affected by strong winds.

Mark King, the service's wildfire lead, said: "Landowners routinely carry out controlled burning to manage vegetation and minimise the risk of wildfires, following strict laws and codes of practice as set out by the government and local wildfire control plans.

"However, conditions can change in an instant and on this occasion the weather changed rapidly with strong winds, causing the controlled burn to spread and turn into wildfire.

"I would like to extend my thanks to the attending fire crews who worked in challenging conditions to limit further spread of the fire and bring the incident to the quickest and safest conclusion, to protect residents, wildlife and the local ecosystem."

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