DOZENS of firefighters have been fighting another moorland fire in Darwen this morning.

Six crews form East Lancashire were called to an area between Grane Road and Jackson Heights Road, Pickup Bank, at 2am.

By 8am the fire was contained and the response scaled back to two pumps who were checking for hotspots throughout the morning.

Relieved Pendle station manager Denise Odgers, incident commander, said: “When we got the call we thought it at first it was the Belmont moorland fire spreading.

“But when we arrived it was quite an intense fire.

“We are not sure of the cause. It could have been embers from previous fires up here, or a deliberate or accidental ignition.”

The occupiers of a nearby domestic farm were woken and warned. Animals including goats were put into a barn. But the flames didn’t reach the buildings.

It was a blow to shattered Lancashire Fire and Rescue resources who have been stretched to the limit by a series of moorland fires across the county since the weekend.

Firefighters are said to be ‘praying for rain’ to end the seventh consecutive day of smouldering grass and tinder-box conditions.

Substantial fires in Belmont, Bacup and Ormskirk have been helped by strong winds.

Two crews apiece from Darwen, Hyndburn and Blackburn had been tackling the flames which have spread across half a mile square of moorland.

A mobile fire station and Land Rover support vehicle were at the scene.