A WOODLAND blaze on the outskirts of Bolton has brought a stark warning from a fire chief.

Following the large fire at Stone Bank, near Egerton, Chief Fire Officer Justin Johnston has warned people against lighting barbecues and campfires on the moors and woodlands.

“The last thing we need always is another Winter Hill,” he said.

“The conditions are perfect - the ground is really dry and the peat. It won’t take much at all to get that going.

“Once it gets a hold, it’s underneath the surface and takes days, sometimes weeks to put out - Winter Hill took us 42 days.”

Several firefighters remain at the scene of Stone Bank, where a fire in the woods rapidly spread across the landscape.

After getting the fire under control, to around 100 metres squared, crews discovered a campfire and litter scattered at the source.

“It’s rarely natural causes, so they’re either accidental or deliberate,” Mr Johnston added.

“Obviously, we have to undertake an investigation on each occasion to determine what it is, but it’s very rarely natural causes like sunlight on broken glass or something like that…it’s normally carelessness or deliberate.”

In June 2018, the smoke from a fire on Winter Hill could be seen across Lancashire and Greater Manchester and would, coupled with the fire on Saddleworth Moor, burn through 18 square kilometres of land over 41 days.

“It cost us over a million pounds and 23 other Fire and Rescue services supported us as well because of the scale of the incident.

“There’s no reason why we couldn’t have another Winter Hill today.”

“We are still in a relaxed lockdown and there are a lot of limitations on what people should be doing.

“Although we want people to enjoy the countryside and exercise, and socialise, what we don’t want is anybody having barbecues or campfires.”

Fires are not the only issue crews deal with in the summer – people swimming in local reservoirs has resulted in many deaths over the years.

Mr Johnston added: “At the same time of year, people are tempted to go into the reservoirs and have a swim, where you can get cold water shock.

“We frequently lose people in the reservoirs that have gone in for a swim ­— normally younger people.”