Huge fire on moorland above Darwen (From Blackburn Citizen)

Huge fire on moorland above Darwen

6:04pm Wednesday 27th February 2013 in Darwen By Dan Clough, Reporter

A HUGE fire blazed on the moors above Darwen this afternoon.

Firefighters were called to a fire to the the east of White Coppice, close to the town at 1.30pm.

When they arrived they found the fire was raging on two fronts, one 1km long and another 100m long.

Fire investigators were still to identify the cause of the blaze.

Five fire engines and 35 firefighters from Darwen, Bamber Bridge and Chorley all attended the scene, as well as a specialist appliance from Rawtenstall that ferried firefighters up and down the hillside.

Fire service spokesman Richard Edney said firefighters had liaised with rangers working on the land.

He said: “Because of the recent weather there is still a lot of grass in the area, which is unusual for this time of year.

“Grass burns very easily so the fire can spread very quickly.

“We don’t know what the cause is at this stage.

“It could be anything from a discarded cigarette to somebody burning rubbish or walkers lighting a bonfire.

“It was a nice day, though, so perhaps somebody has been out walking and dropped a cigarette that has caused the grass to set on fire.”