Find all of the latest information about the wildfire in the Langdale area near Scarborough and Whitby.

Current situation
Travel disruption, road and path closures
Advice if you are worried about smoke
Advice for visitors
Advice for businesses
School closures
Contacting us about our services

Current situation

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service have contained the fire but maintain a significant presence in the area. Flare ups will continue for some time as the peat continues to burn under the surface, creating surface hotspots. You may also notice more smoke in the area due to the rain.

National resources, regional mutual aid and a multi-agency response is in place due to the scale of this ongoing incident. National funding has been approved by government to help support the fire service in this very significant operation.

See the latest update from the fire service on their live blog on the North Yorkshire Fire website.

Travel disruption, road and path closures

All roads around the wildfire have reopened. This includes the A171 between Whitby and Scarborough and the B1416, however a 30mph speed limit is in place on sections of both roads to keep everyone safe.

Please stick to this speed limit as the fire is still ongoing and emergency services are still working in the area. There may be smoke reducing visibility, mud on the road from the ongoing work and our sweepers may be on the road cleaning this up.

Laybys will be closed, please keep moving and do not stop to look at the fire. Police will be patrolling the area. Thank you for your patience.

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The Falling Foss and May Beck car parks in Sneaton Forest remain closed while the firefighting continues.

Minor roads the lead directly into the moors will remain closed until further notice, find out more on our road closures page.

There is also some impact on the Coast 2 Coast walk, you can find out more on the North Yorks Moors National Park website.

Some bus routes in the area may be affected, you should check the bus company's website for the latest information.

Advice if you are worried about smoke

With changes in weather including increases in rain, you will notice smoke lingering at low levels. Therefore, you may notice more smoke within your communities. If you are affected by smoke, please keep your doors and windows shut and continue to follow the advice available on our wildfires page. Please check on vulnerable neighbours, friends and families.

Watch as Dr Victoria Turner, our public health consultant, gives advice around health during the wildfire.

Looking after your health:

• while causing short-term, poor air quality, exposure to smoke from large-scale wildfires is unlikely to contribute to any long-term health effects. In general, exposure to smoke is more likely to affect people who have existing breathing problems, lung or heart conditions, such as asthma, bronchitis, chronic pulmonary disease or heart disease. The very young and very old, smokers and people with flu or flu-like illnesses may also be at greater risk after exposure to smoke from fires
• smoke can irritate air passages, skin and eyes, resulting in coughing and wheezing, breathlessness and chest pain. Individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, such as asthma, should carry any necessary medication or inhalers with them at all times and seek medical advice if their symptoms worsen, by contacting their GP or NHS 111
• anyone experiencing discomfort, such as sore eyes, cough or sore throat, should consider reducing activity, particularly outdoors

Advice for visitors

While we are asking people to avoid the area of the fire, other parts of North Yorkshire are open as normal.

As a result of the speed restriction on the A171 and B1416, you should allow extra time for your journey.

Advice for businesses

Our Visit North Yorkshire team are aware of the impacts on the visitor economy and are here to provide advice and support. The Tourist Information Centre in Whitby has been busy helping visitors not wanting to stay locally to relocate. Find out how to contact the team on the Visit North Yorkshire website.

School closures

Schools will contact parents directly if there is any disruption as a result of the fire.

Contacting us about our services

If you need any further advice about our services, you can call us on 0300 131 2 131.