Car fire at former ski village site sends smoke billowing across Sheffield

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said firefighters were called out to a car fire at the site at 9.02am on Sunday, after receiving calls from two concerned members of the public.

One appliance was sent out to the blaze, and firefighters left the scene at 9.44am.

The spokesman said they could not provide information on the cause of the fire, but did confirm the matter had been passed to South Yorkshire Police.

Once the largest artificial ski resort in Europe, the Ski Village opened in 1988 and was used by winter Olympians for training.

In 2012, a major fire ripped through the site, the first of a series of blazes believed to be arson attacks.

The village was subsequently closed and fell into a state of disrepair.

In March this year, a group of ‘new age’ travellers who had been living on land near the site for more than a decade lost their legal battle to remain there.

A new winter sports development costing £22.5 million is now planned for the site.