Moors fire 'one of the most significant incidents faced by service'
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has published its major incident debrief following the Fylingdales Moor/Langdale End wildfire.
The fire was described as ‘one of the most significant incidents ever faced by the service’.
The wildfire happened during the summer last year and required a long, coordinated response involving many organisations.
The debrief said: “At its peak, the fire affected a large area (over 20km) of moorland and forest.
“The incident was particularly complex as the fire occurred in a remote area with limited water supplies and difficult access.
“Parts of the site had previously been used as a military training range, meaning crews also had to work around the risk of unexploded ordnance.
“Despite these challenges, there was no loss of life, no serious injuries and no damage to homes. Critical infrastructure at RAF Fylingdales was also successfully protected.”
The report highlighted several key strengths, including:
• Teamwork between more than 30 partner organisations
• Successful protection of communities, homes and infrastructure
• Clear command structures and use of specialist wildfire expertise
The report also sets out where improvements can be made, including:
• Enhancing wildfire pre-planning and sharing of wildfire and other risk information
• Strengthening resilience for long-running incidents
• Developing scalable welfare and support for staff over extended periods
Chief Fire Officer Jonathan Dyson said: “I would like to take this opportunity to again thank our staff, partner agencies, other fire and rescue services, landowners and farmers and local communities for the support they provided both during the incident and since.
“This debrief provides a clear account of our response to one of the most significant wildfire incidents we have faced. It highlights what worked well, but also where we need to improve, so we can continue to strengthen how we prepare for and respond to incidents of this scale.
“Since the incident, we have already taken steps to strengthen our safety messaging working more closely with partners. We have also improved our ability to operate in remote areas by developing new water supply arrangements with farmers and we are working with landowners and partners through a North Yorkshire Fire Operations Group to improve coordination and shared understanding of wildfire risk.
“The remaining areas identified in the debrief will be taken forward through a structured improvement programme to ensure learning is fully embedded and put into practice.”
People can read the full report at www.northyorksfire.gov.uk/news/major-incidents/fylingdales-langdale-wildfire/