Unexpected benefits of disastrous Moors blaze

1:02pm Tuesday 19th August 2008

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A MAJOR blaze that destroyed a vast area of moorland has had some unexpected and very welcome benefits.

An area the size of 500 football pitches was razed when a fire raged for six days on the North York Moors five years ago.

Every fire appliance in North Yorkshire was involved in fighting the flames on Fylingdales Moor at some stage - and the heat was such that as well as the vegetation, several inches of peat were also burnt away.

But although devastating, the fire uncovered a huge concentration of previously unknown archaeological sites dating from the early prehistoric through to Second World War practice trenches.

Now English Heritage is to provide funding to consolidate the archaeological recording and research of the sites unearthed.

The £26,900 will also be used to produce advice on "lessons learnt" and subsequent restoration project as well as guidance on disaster planning for moorland environments that contain historic sites.

The National Park’s senior archaeological conservation officer Graham Lee said: "We already knew that Fylingdales was an area of national importance for its archaeology but the fire revealed much more than we understood to be there.

"As the moorland regenerates, the archaeological sites are being covered so it is important that we draw together all the information gleaned from these sites for interested parties to access and learn from at a later stage."

He added: "We also need to look back at lessons learnt so that we can provide advice to others looking to develop counter-disaster proposals for the management of moorland rich in archaeological or cultural heritage features."

English Heritage project officer Dave Went said: "The Fylingdales fire opened up a whole new chapter in our understanding of the history of the moor.

"But it also presented huge challenges to the archaeologists who had to respond by recording this new evidence quickly and effectively, and by making sure that all the right steps were taken for the long-term preservation of the remains.

"Making the lessons we learnt during this project more widely accessible means that other archaeologists, faced with similar disasters, will be able to draw on Yorkshire’s experience."