Park chiefs warn of moorland fire danger

The Met Office has raised its Fire Severity Index for the Yorkshire Dales National Park while one boss at the North York Moors National Park has warned of “tinderbox conditions” on the ground.

Walkers have been asked to be particularly vigilant to reduce the risk of moorland and grassland fires after low rainfall, left exceptionally dry conditions on the ground.

The ranger services manager for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA), Alan Hulme, said that as the dry spell was set to continue over the holiday weekend, the risk of a fire was becoming a concern.

Mr Hulme said: “With people making the most of the warm weather and celebrating Easter and the Royal Wedding we have particular concerns about barbecues, Chinese lanterns and cigarettes sparking fires.

“In these dry conditions, moorland fires could spread very quickly and could be devastating to the landscape and its wildlife, and especially, at this time of year, to ground nesting birds.

“We obviously want people to come and enjoy the Yorkshire Dales National Park over the Bank Holiday weekends, but we would urge them to do what they can to help us prevent a fire from breaking out.”

The North York Moors National Park Authority’s head of park management, Bernie McLinden, said: “Past episodes have shown that under these tinderbox conditions, moorland fires can spread extremely quickly causing significant damage to the landscape and its wildlife.

“Moorland fires at this time of year can be particularly devastating as birds such as lapwing and curlew are nesting on the ground.”

A fire on Ilkley Moor in 2006 lasted for more than 24 hours and caused widespread damage to the moorland, damage from which experts predicted would take 20 years for the area to recover.

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