Leicestershire barn fire sees bales of hay go up in flames

A barn containing around 100 bales of hay went up in flames in Leicestershire, the fire service has said. Crews were called to the hamlet of Marefield, in Harborough district, in the early hours of Wednesday (September 18) to tackle the blaze.

More than 48 hours on, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said it cannot yet know if the flames are out as hay is known to retain heat. Crews are continuing to inspect the bales periodically to check the status of the fire, the service said.

A spokesman for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service told LeicestershireLive the single-storey barn is believed to be "unstable", with a quarter of the structure was destroyed when the metal "buckled" and around 50 bales of hay lost to the flames. The cause of the fire is also unknown at this stage. Investigations will begin once it is clear the flames are completely out.

READ MORE: Huge Leicester student flat plan stalled as developer seeks to use land as car park instead

Firefighters from Billesdon, Melton and Oakham Stations were called to the scene after the initial report was received at 12.24am on Wednesday. Crews at Eastern Station are continuing to monitor the incident, the spokeswoman added.

The spokeswoman for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews were called to an agricultural fire in Marefield on Wednesday, 18, at 00:24. Appliances from Billesdon, Melton, and Oakham Stations attended, and the water carrier from Loughborough Station was also present.

"Two extended hose reel jets were used, and the farmer also helped by creating a fire break to protect crops and using a Manitou telehandler to move unaffected hay bales.

"Crews at Eastern Station are still monitoring the incident. They inspected this morning and will also attend later today."

The fire service initially reported that 200 bales were in the barn. This estimate has since been revised to 100 and the article amended to reflect that.

We are now bringing you the latest updates on WhatsApp first