A 20-year-old woman has been charged with aggravated arson and dangerous driving after a major moorland wildfire erupted near Dovestone Reservoir in Greater Manchester on Saturday evening, following reports that fireworks had been launched in the area before the blaze broke out.
Shania Care-Slede, of Hyde, appeared at Manchester magistrates court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody until a plea hearing on 18 August at Manchester Minshull Street crown court. The fire at Dovestone Reservoir in Greenfield, Saddleworth, has been declared a major incident by the fire service, with the body of an 18-year-old man pulled from the reservoir on Friday night.
The blaze is part of a wider surge in wildfires across Britain, with 19 fires currently active across England and Wales according to the National Fire Chiefs Council. A major incident was declared at Tintwistle Moor in Derbyshire, where a fire burning since 24 June has consumed more than 240 hectares, while smoke from a separate blaze near Conwy Mountain in north Wales prompted the evacuation of 36 homes.