The accidental fire on Fylingdales Moor in September 2003 raged for six days, destroyed an area of moorland the size of 500 football pitches and involved every fire appliance in North Yorkshire.

Now, English Heritage has pledged £26,900 to produce advice to be used as guidance on disaster planning for historic moorland sites.

The blaze uncovered a huge concentration of previously unknown archaeological sites dating from the early prehistoric through to Second World War practice trenches.

Graham Lee, the national park authority’s senior archaeological conservation officer, said: “We already knew that Fylingdales was an area of national importance for its archaeology but the fire revealed much more than we understood to be there.

“As the moorland regenerates, the archaeological sites are being covered so it is important that we draw together all the information gleaned from these sites for interested parties to access and learn from at a later stage.

“We also need to look back at lessons learnt so that we can provide advice to others looking to develop counter-disaster proposals for the management of moorland rich in archaeological or cultural heritage features.”

Following a rapid period of archaeological recording and mapping of the sites, a programme of regeneration was carried out to prevent further damage to the moorland from erosion by wind and rain.

Dave Went, project officer with English Heritage, said: “The Fylingdales fire opened up a whole new chapter in our understanding of the history of the moor. But it also presented huge challenges to the archaeologists who had to respond by recording this new evidence quickly and effectively, and by making sure that all the right steps were taken for the long-term preservation of the remains.

“Making the lessons we learnt during this project more widely accessible means that other archaeologists, faced with similar disasters, will be able to draw on Yorkshire’s experience.”

The project is funded by English Heritage from its Historic Environment Enabling Programme and is being managed by the North York Moors National Park Authority.