Fire crews spend night tackling blaze in Doncaster 

It is understood that officers from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, aided by support crews from Edlington and Thorne, spent much of the night at the scene.

The huge 1,400 hectare moor, managed by Natural England, is recognised as a site of Special Scientific Interest and former peat mine.

Details on the cause of the fire are yet to be released, but the incident follows an appeal by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, which warned against lighting bonfires and garden fires during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This plea comes as South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue saw a huge spike in garden fires during the last week of March – a 161 percent increase compared to a normal week.

A spokesperson said:

“We fully appreciate that people will have excess waste, given they are spending much more time at home, but we would really discourage people from burning it off in the garden,” said Station Manager Steve Jones, who works in the joint police and fire community safety team.

“If a garden fire gets out of control, which so easily happens, we have to send a full crew to deal with it. The smoke can also cause real issues for people with respiratory illnesses – we’ve had reports from some people who haven’t been able to go out in their own gardens.

“At a time when we all need to come together we’re asking that, whilst they’re staying at home, people head to our website and pledge not to have a garden fire during the on-going pandemic – it only takes 30 seconds and will make a big difference.”

Because of the increase in incidents relating to public camp fires, fire officers are also asking people to be extra careful with barbeques, hold off on garden bonfires and camp fires and take specific action to reduce the risk of arson in their areas.