When wildfire broke out on Marsden Moor for the umpteenth time last week, many locals looked on in despair.
It is a sadly familiar site, and made worse for the wildlife as we enter nesting season. Yet that National Trust still advocate their policy of no controlled burning opting instead to convince us that 're-wetting' is the answer.
Despite their 'no burns' policy the National Trust, along with the RSPB and United Utilities will have burnt more moorland in the last few weeks and than all the grouse moors in the Peak District put together in the last year.
A statement from the fire service read at the time: “We had a number of crews in attendance at a moorland fire in Marsden after reports of a fire near March Haigh Reservoir".
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue service also assisted in efforts to tackle the fire and had 15 crews using multiple resources to get the fire under control despite windy conditions. Firefighters used beaters, blowers, water pumps and moorland vehicles to try to stop the fire.
The fire caused a large amount of smoke to blow for long distances, with nearby residents warned to keep doors and windows closed and people reporting smelling smoke as far away as Farnworth in Bolton.
Now, the land has been left devastated by the fire, with images showing burnt vegetation for miles. Next to New Year's Bridge Reservoir, the fields are almost entirely black, with a stark line between where the land the fire burnt and the land left untouched.
A significant health risk also arises after a wildfire, with particles which are small enough to be inhaled and potentially reach the blood stream and cause illnesses increasing.
An environmental research study by IOP Science found that, following the Saddleworth moor fire in June 2018, the concentration of these potentially harmful particles increased by increased by more than 300 per cent in Oldham and Manchester and up to 50 per cent in areas up to 80km away such as Liverpool and Wigan.
After the wildfire events in California earlier this year the lessons of controlled burning have never been more important. Unless the RSPB and National Trust finally start doing what everyone else knows is right, then we are likely to see many more wildfires this on their moors in the future.