FIREFIGHTERS battled through the night to control a grass fire that got out of control on conservation land.
Fire crews in Horwich were called out at around 4.30pm on Tuesday to the fire at Red Moss, off Aspinall Way, Middlebrook.
Two fire engines from Horwich, one from Bolton and an off-road vehicle from Crompton Way Fire Station were called to the scene.
Fire officers spent the whole night damping down the the peat-enriched land, which continued to smoulder in a bid to stop it from re-igniting.
It is believed that the fire may have been started by a carelessly discarded cigarette.
English Nature formally adopted Red Moss as a wildlife site of special scientific interestnsite in 1995 after a long-running battle fought by conservationists to stop Bolton Council turning it into a waste tip.
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