Somerset fire crews battle two enormous crop fires

Fire crews in Somerset have been called to deal with two huge crop fires near Taunton in just two days. Firefighters from Taunton, Bridgwater, Wellington and Yeovil spent more than two hours battling flames which almost totally destroyed crops at a nine-acre field at Kingston St Mary, near Nailsbourne, just north of Taunton, yesterday afternoon.

It came just 24 hours after crews from Taunton, Bridgwater, Nether Stowey and Wellington spent three hours tackling a fire in Broomfield, not far from Kingston St Mary. A harvester farm vehicle was also damaged during the fire.

Yesterday afternoon (Saturday, April 20) Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service received several calls reporting a large fire in the Nailsbourne area. On arrival at about 2.43pm, crews found a field of standing crop well alight.

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Three fire engines, two off-road vehicles and a water bowser were dispatched to the blaze. Firefighters used main jets and beaters and created a fire break with the help of farm machinery.

The blaze was out by 4.45pm. A fire service spokesperson said: “The fire has now been extinguished. The field and crops were 90% damaged by fire and the cause of the fire was accidental.”

At 11.26am on Friday, fire control took a 999 call reporting a forager vehicle, a type of harvester, was on fire at Broomfield. Two fire engines and a water bowser were sent and when crews arrived they found the vehicle was well alight and the fire had spread to a crop field. A further two fire engines and two off-road vehicles were sent, extinguishing the flames by 2.46pm.

A fire service spokesperson said: “The fire was in a forager in a 14-acre field. The fire was fuelled by high winds. The fire was extinguished using two hose reel jets and one main jet.

“The forager was 20% damaged by fire and the field 70% damaged by fire also. The cause of the fire was accidental.”