THE prospect of another summer of burning hills loomed again last night after a huge moorland fire.

The blaze on Bleasdale Fell in the Trough of Bowland prompted calls to Lancashire Fire Brigade headquarters from 15 miles away.

And it tied up dozens of firefighters, including relief crews from Blackburn and Clitheroe, who battled throughout the night to bring it under control.

Lancashire police's helicopter was also called in to scan for "hot spots" using its thermal imaging camera and help co-ordinate the operation.

Meanwhile, another potentially disastrous moorland fire broke out in the hills around Belmont, off Sheep House Lane.

Leading firefighter Keith Dixon, of Darwen Fire Station, said: "Luckily, the road stopped it spreading across to the other side.

"This is only the first week in April so it does not bode well for the future."

Firefighters are anxious to avoid a repeat of last summer when crews were tied up for weeks fighting moorland fires around Darwen.

Already, they have had to deal with dozens of smaller grass fires throughout the area in the past few days, many of which, they believe, were started deliberately.

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