Major fire at RSPB Dove Stone: visitors urged to stay away

The fires remain active, with the recent warm and dry weather creating difficult conditions for those tackling the blaze. Once the fire has been safely extinguished, we will monitor the affected areas and assess the impacts of the fires.

A police investigation into the cause of the incident which began on the 11 July is currently underway.

For the safety of the public and emergency responders, all car parks and footpaths at Dove Stone remain closed until further notice. Visitors are urged not to travel to the site while firefighting operations continue.

Updates on the situation will be provided on our Dove Stone reserve page, as more information becomes available.

Periods of warm weather bring exceptionally high visitor numbers to Dove Stone, placing increased pressure on the reserve and raising the risk of fire-related incidents.

We are particularly concerned that BBQs have been used by some visitors. BBQs are strictly prohibited at Dove Stone because of the significant fire risk they pose, especially during dry conditions.

However, BBQs are not the only potential cause of fires. Everyday items can also create serious risks in the countryside.

We are grateful for the care and caution that most of our visitors take when coming to Dove Stone or enjoying the wider countryside. However, fires can be started by items that people would not normally consider dangerous.

Even a glass drinks bottle left among dry grass or vegetation can start a fire on a sunny day, while a discarded cigarette end can quickly ignite a blaze.

All it takes is a gust of wind to carry a spark into dry, highly flammable vegetation. Fires can spread rapidly, and remote upland locations are often difficult for emergency services to access. That is why we are urging everyone to take extra care when spending time outdoors this summer.

More concerning is that there is now increasing evidence that over the last couple of years some of the fires we have witnessed here may have been started deliberately. Obviously, this is a worrying development and very difficult to guard against given the nature and remoteness of the terrain. However, the RSPB Investigations team has decades of experience in recording crime at remote locations, and we are looking at how this can be brought to bear on this new and distressing development.

The fires come at a particularly sensitive time for wildlife across the reserve.

Many species, including Curlew and other ground-nesting birds, are currently raising their young. Fires can have devastating consequences for these vulnerable populations, destroying habitat and causing significant disturbance during the breeding season.

We are asking everyone visiting the wider area to follow on-site guidance, respect the landscape and help protect this special place for both wildlife and people.

Fire management in upland landscapes is complex. Some land management approaches proposed to reduce fire risk include prescribed burning of heather and grass or increasing grazing levels to reduce so-called "fuel loads" the vegetation available to burn during a fire.

While prescribed burning can temporarily reduce above-ground vegetation, evidence shows that repeated burning in heather-dominated landscapes often encourages further growth of heather, one of the most flammable upland plant species due to its high oil content. Similar effects can occur in areas dominated by Purple Moor Grass, which is also highly flammable and regenerates quickly after a fire at the expense of more sensitive vegetation types.

Over time, this can result in landscapes that remain highly prone to fire.

Protecting peatlands is a key part of reducing long-term fire risk.

Looking only at vegetation does not provide the full picture. Beneath the surface lies peat, an important carbon store. Repeated burning can dry peat soils and make them more vulnerable to ignition, particularly when fire-prone vegetation such as heather dominates.

Peat fires are especially damaging because they can burn underground for extended periods, releasing significant amounts of stored carbon and causing long-lasting environmental harm.

The most effective way to protect peat from fire is to keep it permanently wet, as healthy peatlands naturally are. This is why peatland restoration work, including rewetting projects and the restoration of water-retaining vegetation such as sphagnum moss, is so important.

By restoring healthy peatland habitats, we can help reduce fire risk, protect wildlife, store carbon and build more resilient landscapes for the future.