Another moorland fire breaks out near Oldham after 'hottest day of year'
Pictures and videos taken off Holmfirth Road showed the scorched ground and fire raging on near Diggle and Dovestones on Sunday (March 9).
The cause of the blaze has not been confirmed, but the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said two fire engines were called to the moor to dampen the flames.
READ MORE: Warning over rogue 'meet and greet' parking firms plaguing Manchester Airport
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Videos shared with the M.E.N show a moorland fire this evening near Diggle in Oldham.Nick Moore@MENnewsdesk pic.twitter.com/NwAlDlbaPC
— James Holt - M.E.N (@jameshjourno) March 9, 2025
The Met Office announced that Sunday had been the hottest day of 2025 so far in the UK, with temperatures reaching between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius across Greater Manchester.
It comes just days after another moorland fire broke out in the same area on Wednesday (March 5), with local residents urged to keep their windows and doors shut as plumes of smoke covered the area.
Dramatic pictures last week showed a huge wall of orange flames, with a sea of blue lights towards the bottom of the hill in the Huddersfield Road and Holmfirth Road areas.
On Sunday, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: 'Just before 6.30pm this evening (Sunday 9th March), two fire engines from Mossley and Stalybridge fire station were call about reports of a fire near the moor off Holmfirth Road, Greenfield.
'Crews arrived quickly at the scene. Firefighter are using fire beaters and other specialist equipment to extinguish the fire. Firefighters have been in attendance for around forty minutes and are still at the scene.'
The GMFRS wildfire campaign (Be Moor Aware) aims to prevent moorland fires and wildfires, and to reduce the impact which they have on the service, communities, businesses and the environment.
Members of the public are asked to 'act responsibly' on the moors and not start fires, BBQs or use fireworks. People are asked to dipose of all litter and not discard used cigarettes. Consequences of starting a fire can result in a fine and/or prison
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Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
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Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
The Latest: Tsunami warnings lifted in most places
A tsunami sent waves into parts of Russia, Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the Russian Far East early Wednesday. The quake was one of the biggest ever recorded. Several people were injured, but none gravely. No major damage has been reported. The danger appeared to be subsiding in most places, but Chile kept alerts at the highest level for most of its lengthy Pacific coast while New Zealand renewed a warning to avoid the water. Here's the latest: New Zealand renews warnings Authorities in New Zealand renewed an advisory late in the afternoon local time that urged people to stay out of the water and off beaches. Officials said rebounding tsunami activity from South America meant that strong and unusual currents could continue for another 24 hours, a directive from authorities said. In the latest alert, officials removed a stretch of the country's coastline from the area affected by rough seas caused by tsunami waves. No large tsunami waves have been recorded in New Zealand, which is about 6,000 miles from the quake's epicenter, but some areas registered surges 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 inches) bigger than usual. Two thirds of New Zealanders live within 3 miles of the ocean. Those responsible for New Zealand's national warning system, which broadcasts alerts to every cell phone in the country with a loud siren sound, defended its use Thursday after a glitch caused one alert to be sent in error repeatedly throughout the night. Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said the system's shortcomings would be investigated. Tsunami alerts lowered in much of South America In South America, three of the four countries with coastlines on the Pacific lifted the tsunami warnings. Authorities in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru on Wednesday announced the tsunami alerts were dropped. 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Separately, 11 people were taken to hospital after developing symptoms of heatstroke while taking shelter in hot weather, with temperatures rising to around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places. New Zealand says tsunami activity has begun Emergency management officials say coastlines of New Zealand are experiencing strong currents and wave surges as tsunami activity reaches shores. It's early morning Thursday in New Zealand. An alert broadcast to every cell phone says the threat is likely to remain in place until at least midday. Evacuations haven't been ordered. But people throughout the South Pacific island nation are warned to stay out of the water and away from beaches, shorelines, harbors, rivers and estuaries. New Zealand is about 6000 miles (9,656 kilometers) from the quake's epicenter. Officials warn that the first tsunami waves might not be the largest to arrive and people should treat the threat as real until the alert is canceled. 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We were fully deployed and ready to respond if necessary, but grateful that we didn't have to deal with the situation that this could have been.' Chile raises tsunami warning to highest level Chile has upgraded its tsunami warning to its highest level. The red alert covers most of its 6,400-kilometer (4,000-mile) Pacific coastline, from Arica and Parinacota near its northern border to Magallanes in the far south. The Education Ministry also canceled classes along much of the coast. Explosions and lava flows on Russian volcano Lava has begun to flow from the largest active volcano in the northern hemisphere Wednesday following the earthquake off Russia's far eastern coast. The Klyuchevskaya Sopka — which last erupted in 2023 — stands at 4,750 meters (15,584 feet) in the east of Russia's Kamchatka region. Observers heard explosions and saw streams of lava on the volcano's western slopes, the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' geophysical service said. 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Russia declares state of emergency in areas hit by earthquake The Russian authorities declared a state of emergency on the Kuril Islands and in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the main city on the Kamchatka peninsula. They earlier reported that several tsunami waves flooded the fishing port of Severo-Kurilsk, the main city on the islands, and cut power supplies to the area. Russia's Oceanography Institute said tsunami waves that hit the city topped 6 meters (19 feet). Japan asserts territorial rights to the four Pacific islands it calls the Northern Territories. They were taken by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty. 8.8-magnitude quake was among the strongest this century Wednesday's 8.8-magnitude quake was among the four strongest earthquakes this century, and among the eight strongest since 1900, according to the USGS. The earthquake occurred along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the ring of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur. The 2011 Japan quake and the 2004 earthquake off Indonesia were 9.1 magnitude, and a 2010 earthquake in Chile also was recorded at 8.8 magnitude. Japanese official warns evacuees they might not be able to return home by day's end Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told evacuees in the tsunami-affected areas that they might not be able to return home by the end of the day on Wednesday. Hayashi said waves could remain high for at least one day, and he urged evacuees to take precautions and stay well hydrated in the summer heat. Damage and minor injuries reported in Russian Far East Local authorities on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula said several people were injured during the massive quake, but didn't give an exact number. Oleg Melnikov, head of the regional health department, said a few people hurt themselves while rushing to leave buildings and a hospital patient received an injury while jumping out of a window. Melnikov said that all injured people were in satisfactory condition. A video released by Russian media outlet showed a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room, before continuing with surgery after the shaking stopped. Officials said the doctors will receive decorations. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka's regional capital, the quake damaged a local kindergarten, which was not in operation due to ongoing repair work. Water recedes at Hawaii beaches as tsunami reaches Oahu Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said officials observed water receding by 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) at Haleiwa Harbor on Oahu, the state's most populous island, an indication tsunami waves will arrive. The waves pulling out left boats to lay on dry rock and sand. 'That gave us pause,' Green said. So far no damage has been recorded, but it will take two to three hours of observation before authorities will be able to determine whether the event has passed, Green said. Pacific island nations urge people to avoid coastlines Authorities in a number of small island nations in the South Pacific Ocean urged people to stay away from coastlines, familiarize themselves with evacuation routes and await further guidance from officials, but did not order evacuations. Some tiny and low-lying Pacific island chains are among the world's most imperiled by tsunamis and rising seas. Cautions to stay away from beaches until any wave surges passed late Wednesday were issued by officials in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands. Nearly 2 million people under evacuation advisories in Japan Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said nearly 2 million residents are now under evacuation advisories in more than 220 municipalities along the Pacific coast as of midday Wednesday. It added that one person was slightly injured on the northern island of Hokkaido when a woman in her 60s fell while rushing to evacuate. She was taken to a hospital. Governor says Hawaii is ready for evacuations Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said data from Midway Atoll, which is part of the way between Japan and Hawaii, measured tsunami waves from peak to trough of 6 feet (1.8 meters). He said waves hitting Hawaii could be bigger or smaller and it was too early to tell how large they would be. A tsunami of that size would be akin to a three foot (90 centimeter) wave riding on top of surf, he said. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said data from Midway Atoll, which is part of the way between Japan and Hawaii, measured tsunami waves from peak to trough of 6 feet (1.8 meters). He said waves hitting Hawaii could be bigger or smaller and it was too early to tell how large they would be. A tsunami of that size would be akin to a three foot (90 centimeter) wave riding on top of surf, he said. He told a new conference that a wave that size could move cars and throw fences around. 'It can dislodge trees, that's why you can't just be out there. The impact is at great speed,' Green said. 'Any any structure that gets loose and strikes the individual could take them out. And people can drown quite easily with the force of that kind of wave.' Green said Black Hawk helicopters have been activated and high-water vehicles were ready to go in case authorities need to rescue people. 'But please do not put yourself in harm's way,' he said. Tsunami sirens sound in remote California city The small Northern California community of Crescent City turned on its tsunami sirens to warn residents about possible waves. 'You are hearing a Tsunami Siren. We are under a Tsunami Warning. Please stay away from beaches and waterways. A predicted wave may hit at 11:55 pm. We are waiting on additional information about any level of evacuation,' read a post from the City Hall Facebook account. The city in rural Northern California has roughly 6,000 residents. A tsunami in 1964 caused by an earthquake in Alaska caused a wave 21 feet (6.4 meters) high to hit the city, killing 11 people and destroying its downtown. Lines form at Honolulu gas stations There were long lines at gas stations near downtown Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the shoreline. A Texaco gas station in the Nuuanu-Punchbowl neighborhood closed early so that workers could go home. The workers set out cones at pumps and turned away motorists. Jimmy Markowski, on a family vacation from Hot Springs, Arkansas, ended up at the closed Texaco station after fleeing their Waikiki beach resort in a caravan of three cars carrying 15 people. 'All we're trying to do is just figure out what we're going to do for the next three or four hours,' he said. 'We've got water, we got some snacks ... we're going to stay elevated. This is our first tsunami warning ever. So this is all new to us.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Lisbon residents escape to the beach amid heatwave
Portugal is facing the second heatwave of the summer, with some regions expected to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. (AP video shot by Helena Alves)
