A stark warning is issued over fires on the hottest weekend of the year after North Yorkshire firefighters battled multiple moorland blazes overnight.

Fires were found in fields and on campsites on very dry ground, with a bonfire left unattended close to moorland. As three more separate moorland fires took hold, crews issued a reminder over the toll it can take when blazes fly out of control.

Sharing several photographs of wildfires which started in North Yorkshire over the past year, the service said it was "scary" to witness the impact they can have.

"Even though we have had some rain, the ground is still very dry which makes it perfect for a fire to start," a spokesman said.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service released images of wildfires which have broken out in the county in the past year. Image: @NorthYorksFire

The force saw a busy night on Saturday, with crews in Scarborough called to a small fire in a field shortly after 8.30pm. At Embsay Reservoir, Skipton firefighters were called to a large campfire on very dry ground, while in Selby a small fire had been set deliberately by youths.

By 10pm, a bonfire was sighted on Glaisdale Moor, close to moorland, then shortly after midnight an area of grassland at Glaisdale Rigg was ablaze. Crews found a 'second seat' of fire just south of this one, measuring 10m square. A bigger blaze broke out at Danby Beacon meanwhile, across an area the size of an Olympic swimming pool.

North Yorkshire’s fire service issued advice earlier this month as the heatwave continued, warning wildfires spread quickly and can be hard to contain.

Reaching speeds of 14mph, a wildfire can spread faster than most people can run, a spokesman said, while jumping over obstacles such as rivers or roads.

In West Yorkshire, a large heather blaze broke out in Keighley near Harden Moor earlier this month. Just days before, another wildfire was reported on the moor itself.

Parts of Yorkshire have been particularly hard hit recent years, with warnings issued over barbecues and leaving glass bottles behind.

A 28-year-old man was jailed in January for setting a firework off on Marsden Moor in 2021, with the resulting blaze becoming so large it took 100 firefighters to tackle it.

The fire caused widespread damage, destroying precious peatland habitat and ground nesting birds, and cost £500,000 to the emergency services and in damage caused.

Firefighters in North Yorkshire battle multiple moorland blazes overnight