Woman held on suspicion of arson over moorland fire

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a large fire broke out on moorland in Greater Manchester.

The fire at Dove Stone Reservoir in Greenfield, Saddleworth, has been burning since Saturday, with the cause still yet to be confirmed.

Greater Manchester Police earlier confirmed officers had received a report about fireworks being let off in the area.

The force said it was "following lines of enquiry" and a 20-year-old woman had been held.

It said officers were aware of social media rumours circulating and encouraged people to "stop speculating".

The body of an 18-year-old man was pulled from the reservoir on Friday night.

The fire, which has been declared a major incident by the fire service, has sent large plumes of smoke for miles around across the wider region.

Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service is also investigating and has warned people to be "really, really careful" of dry vegetation which can easily ignite.

"This is a live police investigation," said Det Insp Andrew Day of GMP.

"We would encourage people stop speculating regarding this and if you do have information, please report it to ourselves."

The force also thanked the fire service for "working tirelessly in extremely challenging conditions to contain the fire".

Road closures remain in place at Holmfirth Road and Bank Lane with no access to Dovestone Reservoir, GMP said.

It reminded people to avoid the affected areas so to enable emergency services to carry out their work.

Oldham Mountain Rescue Team said it was also on scene to support Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

"Our volunteers guided fire crews to key access points, providing valuable navigational support and local knowledge," they said in a post on social media.

When a change in wind direction exacerbated the fire on Sunday it said: "We also provided medical cover in support of the tireless firefighters working to bring the blaze under control while protecting our countryside and local communities."

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