‘The fledglings couldn’t escape’: Dartmoor blaze raises questions about wildfire strategy

Commoners say restrictive grazing may be raising risk of fires like one that scorched 500ha of moorlandThe spot where the wildfire broke out could hardly have been worse. Cut Hill is one of the remotest and highest peaks on Dartmoor, miles from any road, a place of tussocky, ankle-turning terrain.And the weeks of hot weather meant the molinia, the moorland grass, was as tinder dry as farmers can remember it at this time of year. Once it took hold, on Sunday, the fire raged. Continue reading...

May 8, 2025 - 11:07
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‘The fledglings couldn’t escape’: Dartmoor blaze raises questions about wildfire strategy

Commoners say restrictive grazing may be raising risk of fires like one that scorched 500ha of moorland

The spot where the wildfire broke out could hardly have been worse. Cut Hill is one of the remotest and highest peaks on Dartmoor, miles from any road, a place of tussocky, ankle-turning terrain.

And the weeks of hot weather meant the molinia, the moorland grass, was as tinder dry as farmers can remember it at this time of year. Once it took hold, on Sunday, the fire raged. Continue reading...