Barbecue believed to have caused Derbyshire moorland fire – prompting renewed ‘stay at home’ plea

Crews from Glossop and Hyde were called to the fire just off the A628 Woodhead Pass at around 8pm on Friday.

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Following the incident, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service group manager Paul Hawker said: “Clearly the stay at home message isn’t getting through to some people.

“Moorland fires cause untold damage to the landscape and local wildlife – and while crews are tied up responding to such fires, they aren’t available to attend potentially life risk emergencies.

“The advice is quite simple – stay at home.”

Detective Inspector Toby Fawcett-Greaves, of Derbyshire Constabulary, said the fire off the A628 Woodhead Pass is thought to have been caused by a BBQ which got out of control.

He said: “Flouting the guidelines puts not only yourselves at risk, but also those who are here to keep you safe.

“A number of officers and firefighters were deployed to this incident, one which was clearly avoidable.

“We are following a number of lines of enquiry to identify those responsible.

“I would ask local communities to remain vigilant and I encourage anyone with information that could help us with our investigation to contact us on 101.

“Please remember, stay at home, save lives and protect our NHS.”

As reported earlier, Derbyshire police have told people to make sure they ‘don’t give anyone more than chocolate this Easter’.

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