Temporary repairs help crews fighting major Derbyshire wildfire – after bridge fails under weight of emergency vehicles

A bridge on a farm track in the Crowden ‘began to fail’ under the weight of emergency vehicles responding to a large-scale wildfire at Tintwistle Moor.

The blaze, which affected an area equivalent to1,250 Wembley Stadium pitches, is now under control after weeks of fire fighting efforts, with major incident stood down on Monday (August 3).

The bridge, could no longer be used by specialist vehicles, making it difficult for emergency services to respond to the blaze.

Derbyshire County Council's Structures and Operations teams stepped in to carry out temporary repairs.

Four one-tonne sacks of rock, earth and the existing concrete slabs were used to support the bridge and allow specialist vehicles to access the site of the large-scale blaze.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) said: “A bridge on a remote farm track in the Crowden sector recently began to fail under the weight of emergency vehicles responding to the wildfire at Tintwistle Moor.

"Spanning a significant gully, the bridge could no longer be safely crossed by specialist vehicles such as the Argocat, restricting movement into a key area of the incident and hindering firefighting operations.

"Derbyshire County Council's Structures and Operations teams quickly stepped in, carrying out a temporary repair using four one-tonne sacks of rock, earth and the existing concrete slabs.

"This temporary solution helped restore full access to this area, enabling firefighters and other on-ground teams to safely cross the gully and continue supporting the response.

"The council intends to return later this summer to carry out a permanent repair.

"A big thank you to the teams involved in keeping the response moving.”