THERE were 11 fire crews needed to tackle a moorland blaze that raged through the night.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) was first called to the fire, involving moorland and heather just off Cragg Bottom Road, in Oldfield, near Keighley, at around 10.45pm last night.

Two specialist crews - The Wildfire Unit and Wildfire Support Pump - from Keighley Fire Station rushed to the scene.

A fire engine from Bingley also joined the first two crews.

Firefighters discovered that around 75 square metres of moorland was involved in the blaze, when they arrived.

They soon realised that more support was needed, despite having four pumps already at the scene.

Two further fire engines from Illingworth were mobilised, while a crew from Shipley were put on standby at Bingley Fire Station.

The number of crews dealing with the moorland fire reached eight when a further Wildlife Unit and Wildfire Support Crew rushed to the scene from Todmorden Fire Station.

At 11.14pm, another two fire engines were sent for - this time coming from Fairweather Green Fire Station and a crew from Cookridge Fire Station who were on standby at Bingley Fire Station.

A final crew - a hose-laying unit - was requested from Otley Fire Station, to help tackle the blaze.

Crews used beaters (which look like spades and are useful for dealing with fires in open areas), aqua backpacks, hose reels, a wildfire fogging unit (which produces high pressure water in the form of a fine mist) and an ArgoCat (a specialist lightweight vehicle for unfavourable terrain).

A specialist Wildfire Officer and Incident Commander also attended the incident.

Crews were still at the fire throughout the night.