Arrests are made over huge 50-acre wildfire that ripped across West Yorkshire moorland on hottest day of the year Three arrests have been made over the fire suggesting police think its deliberate More than 100 firefighters tackled the fire and 70 have remained on scene today Helicopter dropped tonnes of water on to smouldering moorland this morning Police expected to release statement later today detailing the reasons behind the arrests By Isabella Nikolic and Dianne Apen-sadler For Mailonline Published: 21:56 BST, 20 April 2019 | Updated: 15:52 BST, 21 April 2019 431 shares Three arrests have been made over the 50-acre wildfire on Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire, indicating police are treating the blaze as deliberate. A helicopter was brought in today to drop tonnes of water onto the smouldering moorland just to the south of the town of Ilkley, West Yorkshire. More than 100 firefighters tackled the fire in sweltering conditions at its height on Saturday afternoon. Arrests have been made over the 50-acre wildfire that ripped through Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire, suggesting that police are treating it as deliberate A helicopter was brought in this morning to drop tonnes of water over the moorland to ensure the blaze was fully extinguished The 14 crews mobilised from across West and North Yorkshire withdrew overnight but around 70 firefighters returned to the moor on this morning. The helicopter was seen scooping water from a small nearby reservoir and dropping it on the scorched ground. The blaze is not far from the Cow and Calf rocks, which are the focal point of one of the most popular recreation areas in the region. Martin Langan, of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said the service will be 'ramping up' the presence of firefighters throughout the day in case the fire reignites. Firefighters battled late into the night yesterday to tackle the blaze and keep the moorland under control Around 100 firefighters tackled the blaze last night and 70 came back this morning in case the fire reignites The mercury soared to 24C (75F) across the country today, with record temperatures comfortably broken in Scotland and Northern Ireland He added that lunchtime is 'a critical period' as that's 'the hottest part of the day'. It's believed all fire in the area has been extinguished but a helicopter continues to dump water on to the least accessible parts of the moor. Police are expected to release a statement later today detailing the reasons behind the arrests. The service said crews also had to cope with another moor fire, a few miles further south, involving 50 acres of land near The Dick Hudsons Pub, above Shipley. The mercury soared to 24C (75F) across the country today, with record temperatures comfortably broken in Scotland and Northern Ireland. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) battled the blaze long into the night A Met Office spokesperson said it is likely to be the warmest Easter Sunday since 2011, and the warmest Easter weekend since 1949 Temperatures are expected to reach into the 20s every day of the Bank Holiday weekend, with Tuesday seeing the first dip. A Met Office spokesperson said it is likely to be the warmest Easter Sunday since 2011, and the warmest Easter weekend since 1949. Back then, temperatures in Camden Square, London, reached a sweltering 29.4C (84.9F) over the Easter weekend. Firefighters were using beaters, aqua backpacks and leaf blowers to extinguish the fire which began at around 3pm today Read more: Share or comment on this article: Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility