Tinwhistle Moor fire ‘size of small town’ burning in month

She said: “You’ve got your full fire extinguishers, you’ve got all your tools, you’ve got water and you’re trying to put out a flaming morass.

“It’s very hot, very hard work, you get very dirty, but you feel like you’re doing a good job and really helping the environment.

“You get competing emotions, you’re upset that the fire happened, it’s sad when you see it fall, there’s got to be heather and brambles and grass and bilberries, you can get over the egg nest that’s completely burnt down.

“But there’s a real sense of camaraderie. We’re a very small cog in a big firefighting machine, everyone is working hard under difficult circumstances.”

The fire can be dangerous for wildlife. The fire destroys nests, juveniles, mammals and insects cannot escape from the fast moving flames.

Dr Kirsten Lees added: “It’s sad to see the impact it’s having on flora, fauna and wildlife.

“This really affects wildlife, especially ground birds, because they roost, skylarks… things like that are very vulnerable to wildfires because they sit right on the ground – they can’t escape from the fire, so their chicks, their eggs, especially in late spring, early summer, are really vulnerable.”