Firefighters were called to an incident yesterday, May 24, in a town in Northern Ireland after a contractor’s loading shovel caught fire.
The incident was reported on Wednesday at 12:05pm, according to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS).
The JCB Farm Master loading shovel, which had a folding silage buck-rake (fork) attached, caught fire on Church Street in Banbridge, Co. Down.
It is believed a mechanical fault was the cause of the fire
One unit from Banbridge Fire Station attended the scene; firefighters reportedly had the fire under control by 12:22pm.
The fire is believed to have started accidentally; reports suggest that a mechanical fault may have been the cause.
The driver of the vehicle is believed to have escaped uninjured. The loading shovel caught fire on a busy street in the town; plenty of onlookers were attracted to the scene while firefighters brought the blaze under control.
Road traffic collision
This fire in Co. Down follows on from a road traffic collision involving a car and a tractor in Co. Derry last weekend.
Firefighters from the NIFRS responded to the call on Saturday, May 20, at 12:10pm; the accident took place along Victoria Road, Bready in Derry.
Firefighters used hydraulic cutting gear to release a 50-year-old man and a 49-year-old man from the car.
Meanwhile, a 27-year-old man was reportedly out of the tractor when the NIFRS officers arrived on the scene.
All three casualties were taken to hospital by ambulance. Fire crews from Crescent Link and Strabane stations attended the incident.
