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Fire ravages rare habitat on Peak District moor

Karen Attwood
Friday 18 April 2003 00:00 BST
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A unique collection of plants and animals is at risk because of a huge moorland fire, conservationists said yesterday.

The fire has been raging since yesterday morning at Kinder Scout, a popular spot for walkers in the Peak District, Derbyshire. National Trust wardens and national park rangers have joined the Derbyshire Fire Service to battle the blaze, which is affecting an area of 20 to 25 acres.

The fire is though to have been caused by a discarded cigarette or arson, but has been made worse by unseasonably hot weather. The dry weather has made the moorland vegetation and the peat upon which it grows extremely dry, the National Trust said.

Winds of 40mph are fanning the flames, making the job of fire crews and a helicopter team sent to douse the fire from the air even more difficult.

Stephen Trotter, a property manager on the National Trust High Peak Estate, said the effect of any fire on the moorland was "devastating".

He added: "The collection of plants and animals found on the Peak District moors is unique to this country and is extremely susceptible to disturbance, particularly something like this fire."

"If the vegetation is lost it may take decades to recover. If the peat burns away down to the bare rock, a unique habitat will be gone forever. Parts of the moorland have still not recovered from fires that we suffered in 1992."

Visitors to the region were urged to be particularly careful over Easter weekend if they were going walking. "People may drop a cigarette and stub it on the ground thinking it's out, but they can smoulder within the peat for hours or days before flaring up," Mr Trotter said.

¿ Five people were rescued by helicopter yesterday when fire swept through the edge of Verwood Forest in Dorset. Two children and their parents were rescued from a field surrounded by fire. A woman and her dog were rescued from the blaze by another helicopter. A house and two farm outbuildings caught fire and several homes were evacuated.

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