Fire chief urges farmers to take precautions as heatwave causes spate of combine fires
A senior Shropshire firefighter is urging farmers to take protective measures to prevent agricultural vehicles and crops from catching fire after several damaging outbreaks this week.
It comes as fire crews in Shropshire are under an increasing amount of pressure to put out fires involving combine harvesters, as the national heatwave takes hold.
Seven incidents of combines catching fire were reported in the last few days, with some taking up more resources than others.
A large fire in Upper Edgebold in Shrewsbury, which took place on Wednesday night, saw a combine harvester fire spread to the surrounding crops.
Fires that spread to surrounding crops can take around three to four hours to put out.
Craig Jackson, a station manager at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said that officers have seen an increase in demand over the last couple of days.
"Combine harvesters set fire to the crop as well," Mr Jackson said. "The wind has been quite low so we have been getting on top of it, but they do spread quickly."
Being in rural locations, the fire service are trying to get to the fires as quickly as possible to stop them from spreading.
One farmer near to Bridgnorth did 'everything he could' to keep his combine harvester clean, Mr Jackson said, and used a machinery breaker to separate the vehicle from the field.
This meant the situation was dealt with in around one hour by fire crews and caused less damage.
Combine harvester fires can take up a lot of resources, Mr Jackson added, with two or more fire engines and two appliances being utilised for an incident.
To help protect farmers and their farmland, the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has created a Farm Fire Safety leaflet with information and advice to follow.
The leaflet follows the acronym FIELD and reads:
Fires in fields can be prevented. Remember to consider weather conditions, water supplies and firebreaks
Incident location – it’s essential that crews know how to find you. Ensure that you have clear signage from the road and be ready to guide the fire service to the correct location
Extra resources - having a slurry tank of water and chain harrow can make all the difference when fighting the fire.
Leave it to the fire service - don’t try to tackle the fire yourself
Don’t take risks – ensure that you have an escape plan in place and know how to protect your livestock and machinery
