Police Scotland has said it is carrying out enquiries to “establish the full circumstances” of a fire at a farm at Heriot in the Scottish Borders.
The incident occurred around 6:30a.m on Saturday, October 14, and Police Scotland officers attended the scene as well as firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Officers are appealing for information in connection with the Heriot farm fire, which saw two barns full of hay bales on fire.
Insp Colin Deans said: “Two barns full of hay bales were found to be on fire. Fortunately no people or livestock were injured and we are carrying out enquiries to establish the full circumstances.
“The farm buildings are located at the bottom of a lane that leads from the A7 and we are appealing to anyone who lives in the area or may have been travelling to work and saw anything suspicious to get in touch.
“In addition, if you were driving and have dash-cam footage that could help with our enquiries, then please make contact with officers.”
Anyone with any information on the fire is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0775 of Saturday, October 14, 2023.
Farm fires
The insurance branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU Mutual) said 1,700 farm buildings and 66,000 areas of grassland are destroyed by fire in the UK every year.
The most common causes include spontaneous combustion within stored straw or hay, particularly when baled too wet or green, and machinery striking flints and stones and working machinery during harvesting.
About half of all farm fires are started deliberately, the rural insurer said, often as an act of mindless vandalism.
A serious fire can affect the financial stability of even the most well-run business, it said.
Farms are considered to be particularly vulnerable to arson because of their isolated locations, open boundaries and readily ignitable hay an straw stacks making them an easy target.
