Driver escapes as tractor goes up in flames near Shrewsbury
This was the dramatic scene when a tractor was engulfed by flames in a village in Shropshire.
Thick black smoke plumed high into the sky as the fire raged near to the Longden Crossroads in Annscroft, near Shrewsbury.
The eight tonne tractor was completely gutted and the grass verge also caught fire. The road was also damaged by the intense heat.
The driver of the vehicle was able to escape before the flames took hold.
He also managed to reverse the tractor away from a nearby property when he noticed that his vehicle was on fire. Dave Allen, for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We got the blaze under control quite quickly but the tractor was embedded into the road surface so the clear up took quite a while.
"Four hundred litres of diesel had caught on fire and perforated the road surface."
Two fire crews from Shrewsbury were sent to the scene just after 6pm and took more than an hour to bring the fire under control.
Firefighters used two breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets and foam.
Highway officials were also sent to the scene to assess how much damage had been caused to the road.
The environment agency also attended to make sure that the diesel did not enter the watercourse.
