1 day Ago
Firefighters tackled a blaze with "high flames" at a country park. Crews from Hindley and Leigh Fire Stations were called out to Bickershaw Country Park in Leigh last night at around 7.30pm.
Over the course of a couple of hours, the fire covered an area roughly the size of "four football pitches". The specialist Polaris wildfire unit from Bolton North station attended to assist, with crews being on scene for around two and a half hours. Watch Manager Phil Dearden of Hindley Fire Station said: "We were called out at 7.
30pm. It was a bit of marshland that was on fire, probably around the size of about four football pitches. "Due to the bogginess of the land, crews were unable to go onto it to tackle the blaze.
Read more: "Absolute lowlifes" steal historic stones from beauty spot causing £30k of damage Read more: Bolton's biggest housing group poised to hand over first of newly built homes "We had to wait until it came to the edges of the marshland, as the wind was pushing it one way, then we could fight the fire from there. "Luckily there was hard path all the way around the area, and then we could stop it from spreading beyond that and onto other fields." He added: "Everybody was fine, although there were a lot of neighbours who were out because the flames were quite high and quite prominent in the night sky.
"Crews spent two and a half hours at the scene. Grassland and reeds were left damaged by the fire, as well as a few trees. "Two pumps from Leigh and Hindley attended, as well as the Polaris wildfire unit from Bolton North who assisted.
".
