Two barns holding hay caught fire in Devon last night - and one needed 19 fire crews to tackle it.
A barn holding more than 100 tonnes of straw caught fire in Stokenham near Chillington last night (Wednesday, August 11) - and 19 fire crews were called to tackle it.
There were multiple reports of the fire, the first at 8.23pm and a crew from Kingsbridge were the first on scene to find the barn and the bales inside well alight.
Initially the incident commander mobilised six fire pumps and two water bowsers.
Crews set up in teams to surround the fire, protecting neighbouring buildings with a ground monitor and a compressed air foam jet.
To stop the incident from escalating, two more fire engines were called to the scene, together with multiple specialist vehicles.
Firefighters were called from throughout Devon, from Torquay, Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Moretonhampstead, Salcombe, Totnes, Danes Castle, Crediton, Honiton, Plympton, Crownhill, Greenbank, Bere Alston, Ivybridge, Kingston, Yelverton and Martock.
By 1am the pumps were scaled back and five relief crews stayed on scene.
Throughout the night they monitored the fire and prevented it spreading to buildings nearby.
By 3.45am just three pumps remained on the scene and the fire service reported that steady progress was being made.
Compressed air foam was applied by jet to buildings near to the barn to protect them.
At 8am the fire service reported that only two pumps remain on scene and that crews are using more compressed air foam to keep the other farm buildings safe.
More relief crews will take over this morning.
Later that night reports came in of another barn on fire, this one containing around 70 bales of hay and farm machinery.
The Ivybridge fire crew had only just got back to base after the Stokenham fire when they were called to man the Plympton water bowser for the second barn fire in Hemborough, near Dartmouth.
The fire service was alerted to the burning barn at 2.55am this morning (Thursday, August 12) and sent two fire engines.
On arrival, fire fighters found a barn approximately 25m x 15m storing 70 bales of hay and farm machinery on fire.
The hay was well alight, as well as 40 per cent of the roof, so another fire crew was called from Paignton.
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Crews helped in the removal of the remaining hay into the open so that it could burn under supervision.
By 8am this morning one fire engine from Teignmouth and one from Newton Abbot remained in attendance having taken over from Dartmouth and Paignton.
The fire service reported that, good progress was being made by on scene.
An update at 8.20am stated that crews have left the scene and left the incident in the hands of the farmer.
Crews assisted in removing the remaining hay into the open so it can burn under supervision.
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