Lancashire Wildlife Trust has said that they have been left “devastated” after a fire on Darwen Moor.
Fire services were called to the blaze at around 4.25pm on Sunday, July 12, which spread through the moorland near Belgrave Road.
Local gamekeepers and the fire service were still tackling the fire at 9am on Monday.
It was visible across Darwen and the surrounding areas, including Winter Hill.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Wildlife Trust said: “We've been devastated to see the fire on Darwen Moor over the last 24 hours, which is on some of our restoration site.
“Huge thanks to the public that phoned it in, as well as the gamekeepers and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service who have been tackling the blaze.
“Public are being urged to stick to public paths and bridleways in the affected area over the coming weeks and avoid roaming open access areas to allow the damaged ground and plant life to recover.”
The trust added that some of the restoration works carried out by Lancashire Peat Partnership were caught in the blaze, including some stone dams.
However, the response on the ground was assisted by water kept on the landscape in the fire pools, which had also been put in by the project, and rewetting works had kept the blaze from becoming too far spread.
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A trust spokesperson said: “Please stick to public paths and bridleways in the affected area over the coming weeks and avoid roaming open access areas to allow the damaged ground and plant life to recover.”
The wildfire was the second major incident of its kind over the weekend, following a similar incident near Dovestone Reservoir on Saddleworth Moor the previous day.
The cause of the wildfire has not yet been identified.
