'Near miss' as fireworks cause grassland blaze

Young people setting of fireworks are thought to have caused a large grass fire described as a 'near miss' by a wildlife charity.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) issued a warning about using fireworks after the fire broke out at The Roaches in Upper Hulme in the Peak District on Monday evening.

Firefighters were called at about 21:35 BST, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said, and managed to extinguish the blaze. No-one was reported to have been injured.

Police said the fire was believed to have been caused deliberately by young people setting off fireworks and confirmed the incident was under investigation.

SWT said the bird nesting season was currently at its peak and the fire could have "easily devastated" breeding curlew, meadow pipits and birds of prey.

Jeff Sim, head of nature reserves at SWT, said: "Looking over the fire site this morning, we see some encouraging signs.

"The fire caused minimal damage where the sphagnum moss plants are well established in the vegetation as they've kept the ground wet."

The fire service said the grassland blaze measured about 30m by 30m (98ft) and was "well alight" when its five crews arrived.

Station manager Helen Chadwick said deliberate fires put a strain on resources while also damaging wildlife and scenery.

"Particularly during this warm weather, incidents like this can rapidly spread out of control and pose significant danger to the local community," she added.

"It is vital that people do not start these fires and further stretch our resources in what we expect will be an incredibly busy period across Staffordshire."

Ch Insp Cliff Goodwin, of Staffordshire Police, said setting off fireworks on The Roaches was "incredibly dangerous" and risked harm to wildlife.

He urged anyone who had information or footage from the area at the time to get in touch.

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