Forty firefighters battle huge blaze at timber yard

Seven fire crews from the Mid and West Wales service spent several hours at the Broadoak timber yard in Pentrer Beirdd, near Guilsfield, after the blaze broke out yesterday evening.

A fire service spokesman said 90 per cent of a 65ft by 131ft building was involved in the fire. Appliances from Welshpool, Llanfyllin, Montgomery and Newtown attended the blaze at around 6.10pm.

Four hose reel jets and four breathing apparatus were used as firefighters tackled the flames.

A neighbour who did not want to be named said: "We have been told that a shed filled with timber has burnt down.

"It all happened around 6pm. There was a lot of shouting and a hell of a lot of black smoke and then all of a sudden we could hear the crackling of wood."

Firefighters were kept busy dealing with other incidents across the county last night.

Buckets of water were used to put out a bin fire in Hillside, Ludlow, at 9.20pm.

An appliance from Tweedale was also sent out and used two hoses to bring a skip fire under control in Sutton Hill, Telford.

Fire crews from Newport and Telford were called out following a bathroom fire in Newport, at 12.30am. Elsewhere firefighters were called to a series of grass fires across the county. At around 5.05pm appliances from Church Stretton, Cravan Arms, Shrewsbury, Tweedale, Telford and Muck Wenlock attended a gorse and grass fire in Novers Hill, Cymdale, Church Stretton.

At around 7.10pm firefighters from Telford were called to several small fires which broke out in Telford Town Park.

One appliance from Telford Central dealt with all the incidents and left the scene and 7.35pm. The police were not informed.

Earlier at around 5.45pm one appliance from Oswestry was called to deal with a tree fire at Brogyntin Park.

Firefighters used one hose reel jet to extinguish the fire and left the scene around an hour later at 6.45pm.