Fires on dry moorland have led to the district’s fire service being inundated with hundreds of calls.

And people visiting the moors around Bradford are being urged to be cautious to avoid adding to crews’ workload after one of the driest Aprils on record.

About 300 calls were made to West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue on Sunday and Monday and firefighters attended more than 150 incidents – more than 80 of which were fires in the open.

When wildfires have taken hold, they have proved tough to confine and put out.

The most severe blaze continued yesterday at Wainstalls, Calderdale. The fire started on Saturday and was put out but crews were summoned to a spot nearby after a second fire was believed to have been started on Monday.

Bradford residents called the Telegraph & Argus reporting they could see huge plumes of thick smoke.

The situation became so dire that a helicopter was drafted in with Yorkshire Water’s nearby Ogden Reservoir used to collect water.

Andy Newman, who led a team at the scene, said last night that the fire was now being successfully dealt with. The Walshaw Dean Estate and other landowners were helping with the effort.

Other moorland blazes occurred on Black Moor off Trough Lane, Denholme, on Saturday, involving 1,000 sq metres, and at Longley Moors, Keighley, on Monday, where three large jets were used on an area of 200 sq metres.

Danny Jackson, Bradford Council countryside manager, said: “We would ask people if they are out and about to keep an eye out for fires and report any that they see.”

  • Read the full story in Wednesday's T&A