Langdale fire latest: Evacuation plans drawn up for Robin Hood’s Bay and Goathland - as firefighters hampered by exploding World War Two bombs
Evacuation plans have been drawn up for UK villages as the Langdale Moor fire rages on.
The fire, which broke out on August 11, had originally been thought to be under control, but rapidly spread over the Bank Holiday Weekend to the North and North-West. Roads surrounding the fire have been closed including the A171 from the Robin Hood’s Bay turn to Cloughton, the B1416 Sneatonthorpe (Dean Hall Brow to A171) and C224 Moorgate, Littlebeck (A169 to U2335 Lousy Hill Lane).
Currently 10 appliances are committed to the incident and this presence is expected to be maintained, alongside a further 10 appliances which have been requested from the National Resilience. While not necessary at that moment, evacuation plans have been drawn up for Robin Hood’s Bay, Goathland and Fylingthorpe, should the spread of the fire accelerate once again.
North Yorkshire Council said on its Facebook page: “We understand that people in the Whitby and Scarborough area might be concerned about the fire spread and the smoke. If you need to evacuate you will be contacted and advised.
“If you do live in areas near to the fire you might want to consider preparing a grab bag in case you need to leave at short notice. Consider packing items like medication, insurance documents, glasses and contact lenses, phones and chargers and other items you might need if you have to leave your property at short notice.
“If you're visiting the area you may want to think about making plans to leave earlier than planned especially if you're in the area near the smoke or fire. Other parts of North Yorkshire are open.”
Fire crews battling the vast moorland blaze in North Yorkshire have said they have been hampered by exploding World War Two bombs and tank shells. County Chief Fire Officer Jonathan Dyson said part of the site had been a tank training ground in the 1940s and there had been more than 18 explosions as the fire burned down to previously hidden explosives.
The Ministry of Defence said an explosive ordnance disposal team had found "various World War Two-era unexploded ordnance items", declaring them to be "inert practice projectiles". The spokesperson said the team had responded on four occasions to the Langdale Moor area, with discovered items "retrieved for subsequent disposal".
Mr Dyson said the fire service was treating the incident as a "significant wildfire" and had requested help from other services across England. He said in some places crews had to adopt a "very defensive fire-fighting strategy" due to the unexploded bombs.
"As the peat continues to burn down it is finding the World War Two ordnance and therefore exploding and we have now experienced over 18 ordnance explosions within key areas," the officer added.