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
Moving towards recovery

Current situation

While the fire has been contained, people are being asked to avoid the affected area and various public rights of way remain closed. Smoke is likely to continue in the area for the next few weeks. 

The fire has now moved into the recovery stage after being officially downgraded from a major incident by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. See the latest update from the fire service on their live blog on the North Yorkshire Fire website.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation and the public have been thanked for their patience as inquiries continue. 

The North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum is still actively working together to monitor the situation and any impacts as well as to support recovery.

Travel disruption, road and path closures

Motorists should drive with caution on the A171 and B1416. There is a continued risk of smoke reducing visibility and animals may be on the highway due to fencing being removed to allow emergency services to tackle the fire. Lay-bys remain closed.

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.

The vast majority of the North York Moors National Park can be enjoyed safely, with businesses open as usual. However, the landscape in the area of Fylingdales Moor remains extremely hazardous. Please respect the closures that are in place and do not walk or cycle in areas damaged by fire. There may be unexploded ordnance present in the area and a continued risk of flare-ups.

Open access to Fylingdales Moor has been suspended for a period of three months. This is the permission that allows people to freely explore moorland and common land beyond public Rights of Way, such as by walking over the land without following a defined path. You can find a map of the area where open access has been suspended on the North York Moors National Park website.

Rights of way across the moor remain closed which impacts on the Coast to Coast and Lyke Wake Walk routes, you can find out more on the more about impact on the routes on the North York Moors National Park website.

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.

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.

York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub are measuring the impact of the wildfire on the local economy. Businesses are encouraged to share whether the fire has affected them or not by completing the survey on the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub website.

The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and feedback is vital in helping assess the impact and determine what support may be needed.

Moving towards recovery

The North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum have now moved into the recovery stage. Some impacts of the fire will likely be felt for a considerable time in the local community, not least the damage caused to the landscape.

The forum will continue to work in partnership with local residents, landowners and other stakeholders in the area to support those affected.