A moorlands fire in Staffordshire was getting worse on Friday as a dozen fire engines and two water carriers were called in to try and stop it spreading further. 

Staffordshire Fire were called to the blaze on Roaches Road, near Upper Hulme, at 1.28pm on Thursday and said today that it was “worsening due to the weather conditions”. 

The fire started in woodland but has now spread to nearby moorland – with wind helping to spread the flames.

There is no reports of injuries, but the West Midlands Ambulance Service has treated one man for smoke inhalation. 

Two homes have been evacuated and a number of roads are closed.

Local residents were warned to “keep windows and doors closed” as the fire service began receiving a “high number of calls” from residents around  Tideswell, Blackwell and Bradwell regarding smoke plume.

Staffordshire Fire said while the fire was on The Roaches, near to Leek, the smoke was travelling north eastwards.

Police have asked people to avoid the area.

South Yorkshire Police wrote on their Facebook page today that they had received a number of calls about “the smell of burning” in the Sheffield area and reassured concerned commenters that there was “no need for alarm”.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service had also receiving a high number of calls about the plume from people living in villages in the Peak District.

Stoke-On-Trent Live reported that a helicopter had helped search for anyone who may have been trapped by the blaze on Thursday, but said the fire service had deployed it as a precautionary measure. 

Roaches Road remains closed from Ye Olde Rock inn and the Meerbrook turn-off today, traffic data company Inrix said, with roads around Hazel Barrow Farm also affected.

The moorland fire comes just weeks after a long-running blaze at Saddleworth Moor in Greater Manchester.

Firefighters finally left the scene on July 18, after fire services’ from across the UK, along with soldiers, were drafted in to help them contain the blaze that broke out on 24 June. 

At its peak the fire covered an area of 7 square miles of moorland.