The Glossop Wildfire Isn't Over — It’s Burning Underground

Courtesy of the Peak District Moorland Group.

Despite conflicting reports of containment and helicopters being stood down at the scene of the fire, the reality on the ground does not match the official messaging. What the press is dismissing as mere "hotspotting" is actually deep peat soil actively burning.

This is a hallmark of summer wildfires that are left to smoulder rather than being properly extinguished, and it is actively undoing centuries of crucial carbon capture.

While the moorland management sector raises these concerns, it takes absolutely nothing away from the Fire and Rescue Services and FOG partners. They fought the initial fire-front in brutal conditions and deserve our utmost respect.

However, the ongoing management of this incident is causing disbelief across multiple organisations:

• Lack of Action: Why hasn't the RSPB, who manage this site, mustered a properly equipped team to deal with the burning peat?

• Inadequate Resourcing: Local sources report seeing only minimal personnel and stationary equipment near the treeline, rather than an active effort to extinguish the deep-seated fire.

• Restrictive Policies: We understand some organisations restrict their staff from tackling active fire-fronts. However, when policymakers like Natural England prevent their own staff from addressing anything larger than a square metre—the size of an office bin fire — our moorlands are left completely vulnerable.

Our precious peatlands require robust, proactive management. Leaving them to smoulder is an environmental failure.