Fire Minister Sarah Dines has visited Win Hill in Bamford to see the devastation caused by a moorland fire. 

Crews, including a number from across the High Peak, attended the incident that started on 19 July and lasted until 24 July. Firefighters were deployed for a further day to retrieve all the fire hoses and kit deployed as part of the operation. 

Over the course of the six days, a total of 34 fire engines and around 60 firefighters attended, tying up resources and potentially delaying the response to other emergencies where lives could be at risk.  

Sarah Dines, who is also MP for Derbyshire Dales, was taken on a tour of the site on Monday (1 August) to see the impact of the fire which is estimated to have cost Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service in the region of £250,000. 

It was a very informative visit, thanks for hosting. https://t.co/iwGhR2qi6K

— Sarah Dines (@Dines4Dales) August 4, 2022

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Rob Taylor said: “The visit was a great opportunity for us to speak to the Minister about the impact of such fires on the environment, the impact on our Service and resources and to hear first-hand the work being undertaken across our partnerships to educate and prevent future fires.  

“We took the opportunity to demonstrate some of the kit our firefighters use when fighting such moorland fires.” 

The fire is believed to have been started by a camping stove, although several portable barbeques were also found in the area.  

At a meeting of the Fire Authority, Derbyshire’s Chief Fire Officer Gavin Tomlinson spoke about the impact on the service and will be writing to the county’s MPs asking for their support to tackle the reckless use of portable BBQs. 

A number of supermarkets have stopped the sale of disposable BBQs, including most recently M&S. 

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