This spectacular drone footage show the devastation left behind by a raging fire on Easter Monday.
The fire covered hillside above the village of Uppermill near Oldham, Greater Manchester in huge flames which engulfed land dangerously close to nearby houses.
Smoke could be seen filling the air as the skies turned a deep shade of orange yesterday evening.
It’s the latest of a series of blazes which have broken out across the country.
Fire crews and volunteers are currently tackling 12 separate blazes across seven miles of Dartmoor in Devon.
They are also battling a huge fire mountain fire above the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales, which caused 20 homes to be evacuated overnight and was described by witnesses as ‘looking like a volcano’.
A fire covered hillside above the village of Uppermill near Oldham, Greater Manchester in huge flames which engulfed land dangerously close to nearby houses which it’s understood were unaffected
Fire ravages the landscape in Uppermill on monday evening. The fire is now out after burning through the night to the horror of local residents
Smoke could be seen filling the air as the skies turned a deep shade of orange yesterday evening which led to the fire service advising residents to keep their windows closed
Three young men have been arrested after a 50-acre wildfire tore across Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire on a scorching Easter weekend
Three young men have been arrested after a 50-acre wildfire tore across Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire on Friday.
And up to 70 firefighters tackled a large blaze that broke out near a wind farm in Moray, Scotland yesterday which was put out this lunchtime.
Witnesses say the Uppermill blaze took hold and burned for around an hour before being brought under control by fire crews.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said there were six fire engines at the scene but no cause has yet been established.
It was treated separately to moor fires at Diggle, Denshaw and Delph near Saddleworth, Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire as well as Tintwistle in Derbyshire.
Engineer Craig Hannah, 50, who lives in the nearby village of Greenfield, snapped photos of a wall of fire which was around 50m away from nearby properties.
The father-of-two was on his way home from a meal with his wife when he spotted the raging blaze which took hold of moorland above Uppermill.
Drone images showing the devastation left only yards from homes in Uppermill, Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester
The Uppermill blaze was one of three fires to break out in 24 hours in the region. Drone images showed the devastation
He said: ‘It was immediately behinds the village of Uppermill, some of the houses were 50m away.
‘Initially, I had just been for a meal with my wife which is on the opposite side of the hill.
‘As we were heading down the road in the car the side of the hill was just a wall of fire. I had my camera gear in the car from being out all day walking.
‘The fire burned very quickly from the bottom before spreading outwards. All the hillside was red in colour.
‘There were lots of people in the village streaming out of pubs to watch it due to the time, it was around 9pm.
‘It was a large fire to be so close to properties. It was an impressive fire and burned for around an hour but was put out very promptly by the fire service.
‘At this time of year, you have a lot of dead grass, it’s like a tinderbox.’
Eyewitness to the fire in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Chris McPhail said: ‘As I was driving up I could just see the
glow and a load of smoke. It just looked like a volcano.’
People were urged to avoid the area as firefighters battled the blaze into this morning
The Uppermill blaze was one of three fires to break out in 24 hours in the area.
Emergency services attended a serious fire on Marsden Moor which started at Easter Gate on Sunday evening.
Ten water pumps, a helicopter and a specialist high volume pump have been in use, taking water from nearby reservoirs to the fire.
Trained National Trust Rangers and volunteers are also currently assisting in beating down flames with specialist equipment.
It’s likely that a BBQ started the blaze, now estimated to cover over 15sq kilometres of moorland.
Firefighters also battling a fire in a slate quarry above the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales
The huge mountain blaze in Blaenau Ffestiniog caused around 20 homes to be evacuated overnight
Crews, staff and volunteers remain on site on Tuesday and will keep up efforts to contain the fire today, in continued warm, dry weather.
Marsden Moor is a special place for upland birds, including merlin, which nest on the ground.
It’s likely that the biggest loss of wildlife will be nesting birds such as curlew, and mountain hares that inhabit this area of the moorland.
A spokesperson for the National Trust today (Tues) said: ‘We’re devastated to see the destruction caused.
‘Please help us protect the moors and wildlife by calling the fire brigade immediately if you spot any signs of fire.
‘We need our visitors’ help to prevent the risk of fire across the countryside that we care for, particularly when we experience prolonged periods of dry weather or are in drought conditions.’