Public updated on Langdale Fire

The Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime today led an Online Public Meeting to hear a public briefing on the recent Langdale Moor Fire. The session provided a clear and candid overview of the incident, the emergency response and the ongoing recovery efforts.

The meeting offered a real-time opportunity for the public to hear directly from operational leads about what happened, the challenges they faced, and the number of different agencies involved in the incident.

Speaking after the meeting, Deputy Mayor Jo Coles said:

“The Langdale fire is an ongoing incident and has been the largest wildfire North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service have ever had to respond to. I want to thank the tireless efforts of all our firefighters and those from other fire and rescue services who have worked so hard to keep us all safe recently. I also want to thank the firefighters’ partners, families, the employers of on-call firefighters, as well as farmers, contractors and businesses who have come together to tackle the Langdale incident and to bring it under control. 

"Work to assess the cause of the incident and a post incident review will be carried out by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Wider lessons to be learned will be led by the local resilience forum (led by North Yorkshire Council) as part of their debrief process. Ensuring the public are kept informed and are reassured about the incident, the actions taken to date and what is likely to happen going forward is extremely important. 

“Today's meeting clarified the facts and enabled the fire and rescue service to clarify issues for the public. Further meetings will take place in the coming months." 

At the online meeting, the Area Manager and Director of Emergency Response and Training at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS) provided a detailed briefing on the major fire near RAF Fylingdales, first reported on 12 August 2025. 

The incident escalated to a major incident status with up to 20 pumps deployed, covering approximately 5 square kilometres at its peak. A separate fire was also tackled nearby. By 27 August, the fire was contained, with control lines established and ongoing efforts to manage hotspots.

The incident presented significant challenges, including unexploded military ordnance, extreme weather conditions, multiple fire fronts, deep peat and dry vegetation, limited access and water supply, and a lack of natural fire breaks. NYFRS and partners maintained a continuous presence throughout.

Thanks were extended to NYFRS personnel, on-call firefighter employers, UK fire services, partner agencies, the Local Resilience Forum, local landowners, farmers, the MOD, contractors, mine response teams, gamekeepers, and the wider community for their support and collaboration.

David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said: 

“Our firefighters have contained the wildfire that has been affecting the Langdale and Fylingdales area over the last few weeks. 

“We are now moving into the recovery process, but there are still risks of smoke and flare-ups of the fire. Fylingdales Moor also has the risk of unexploded ordnance and the public footpaths in the area remain closed. 

“The fire has had a big impact on our environment and on tourism. So, we will be stepping in to see where we can offer support.”