A large fire that broke out on protected moorland has sent smoke shooting hundreds of feet into the sky today (Mon).<br /><br />The huge blaze, which currently covers an area spanning 1640ft (500m), began on Marsden Moor, near Butterley Reservoir, West Yorkshire, this afternoon.<br /><br />Fire crews from five different districts were called to the scene at around 1.30 pm and are currently battling to keep the blaze under control. <br /><br />A West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Firefighters are currently in attendance at a wildfire on Marsden Moor. <br /><br />“Crews were called at around 1.30pm today to the fire at Butterley Reservoir, Wessenden Road in Marsden. <br /><br />"At the moment the fire measures around 500m x 500m and crews are in attendance from Ossett, Keighley, Todmorden, Halifax and Skelmanthorpe.<br /><br />“A drone is enroute and the Argocat is in attendance with wildfire support.”<br /><br />Fires previously devasted the more, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, in April 2019 - damaging 700 hectares of grassland, which cost £500,000 to repair.<br /><br />This was followed by another blaze in April 2021, where fires led to £200,000 worth of damage
