A contractor in Co. Wexford had a lucky escape today when the tractor he was driving went ablaze in a hay field.
John O’Leary was wind rowing a field of hay prior to baling when the fire started around lunchtime. The fire, which John thinks may have been started because of an electrical fault, started on the Ford 7610 and with minutes the tractor was completely engulfed by flames.
O’Leary and a neighbouring farmer managed to pull the blazing tractor out of the field into a nearby grass field before any damage was caused to the hay.
When the fire started, the tractor was fitted with a tedder, but before it got out of hand the two men managed to get it removed from the tractor.
The fire caused some damage to the ditch when the tractor was been towed out
Luckily the contractor and the farmer both had fire extinguishers to hand, but despite their best efforts to then save the tractor, the fire caused a massive amount of damage to tractor and by the time it was extinguished the tractor was all but completely burnt.
The fire caused extensive damage to the tractor, including burning off the right front tire, breaking the glass in the cab and leaving the tractor in an unrecognisable condition.
The fire damaged Ford 7610
