FIREFIGHTERS from across South Lakeland averted environmental disaster after fire took hold at the internationally important conservation area of Burn Barrow Moss, near Haverthwaite, on Sunday.

Around 20 firefighters were called in from Kendal, Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands to tackle the blaze which destroyed around four hectares of the mosses which are part of Roudsea Wood and Mosses nature reserve.

The mosses, managed by English Nature, are classified as a Special Conservation Area and are one of the finest areas of lowland raised mire habitats in Europe and are home to species such as the large heath butterfly, the fen raft spider and the Manchester treble-bar moth.

The high water table encourage the growth of sphagnum mosses on which an intricate community of wildlife thrives. But, in spite of the wet nature of the area and the recent rainfall, grass and leaves on the surface of the mosses caught fire.

In charge of the fire fighting operation was Station Officer Alan Maguire, from Barrow. He said: "We were there for quite a while trying to control the fire. The wind was changing direction and fanning the flames and the fire was moving quite quickly."

English Nature site manager Rob Petley-Jones said the fire had been potentially very damaging. "If it had really caught hold it could have devastated this very important site." Thanks to the efforts of the fire brigade, he said, the peat below the mosses did not catch fire and damage was limited to the surface vegetation of around five per cent of the mosses. "We expect there will be significant recovery even this year," he said.

"If the fire brigade had not come so promptly we would have had a much more damaging fire," said Mr Petley-Jones, "I cannot praise them highly enough, they were fantastic."

May 1, 2003 13:30