Huge Winter Hill moorland fire officially out after 41 days

A huge moorland fire which began in June is officially out, fire chiefs have said.

At its height, the blaze at Winter Hill was declared a major incident, with hundreds of firefighters working on rotation at the site.

Huge areas of moorland have been devastated.

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While access is currently being reopened to the areas around Winter Hill and Rivington Pike, people are being warned to stick to the public paths over the moorlands to allow the damaged ground to recover.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s Area Manager Simon Fryer said: “Assessment of the incident ground this morning using thermal imaging showed that there are currently no hot spots presenting a risk of further fires breaking out.

The area is being left in the hands of the landowners.