Upland fire prevention measures have been implemented by estate managers in response to potential wildfire threats.

The interventions took place in the Calderdale region, specifically near Heptonstall, after holidaymakers ignored fire bans and lit campfires on sensitive moorland.

A Calderdale countryside manager, who requested anonymity, explained that two separate episodes occurred within a short timeframe, each capable of igniting significant vegetation fires, and both were entirely preventable.

Warning signage is prominently displayed throughout the area, erected by local landowners, the Regional Moorland Group, the fire brigade, and the local authority, yet visitors continue to bypass these alerts and create open fires on landscapes vulnerable to rapid destruction.

Had their teams and the fire service not intervened so swiftly, the consequences would have been far more severe.

During one incident, countryside officers contacted the fire service after discovering several individuals lighting campfires on moorland designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The estate managers successfully extinguished the flames before they could expand further.

The risk of escalation was significantly reduced only because the wind happened to subside, and the three individuals responsible, who had passed three warning signs, will now face Public Spaces Protection Order notices.

In a separate occurrence, firefighters were called out to tackle a blaze on terrain covered with highly flammable Molinia grass, which can propagate fire rapidly across vast expanses.

Countryside managers have expressed mounting exasperation that despite notices from local estates, the Regional Moorland Group, the fire service, and the council, members of the public continue to ignore safety warnings.

These occurrences highlight growing concerns about wildfire risk on managed moorland, and the essential role estate managers play in preventing situations from intensifying.