A tractor on fire has been extinguished by fire crews, the North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service has said.
Crews from Selby and Acomb responded to reports of a tractor on fire in a field near Main Street, Thorganby, at 5:37p.m yesterday (Tuesday, June 25).
The tractor was extinguished along with 10 square metres of standing crop which was also affected.
The cause was accidental and crews used two hose reel jets, three breathing apparatus and pitchforks at the scene.
Farm fires
NFU Mutual is urging farmers and agricultural contractors to take extra prevention measures before this year’s harvest to prevent “devastating farm fires”.
The rural insurer is specifically urging farmers to protect their combine harvesters from fires this harvest, as more than 90% of the combine harvester fires reported to it in 2022 and 2023 occurred in July and August.
With this year’s harvest season approaching, NFU Mutual is urging farmers to take all possible steps to reduce the risk of fire in their combines, balers and tractors.
The leading rural insurer is also calling for legislation that requires manufacturers to install fire suppression systems as standard on agricultural vehicles, so this is no longer a burden placed on farmers.
NFU Mutual rural affairs specialist, Hannah Binns, said combine fires can quickly spread through growing crops to engulf neighbouring fields and properties, so prevention measures are a matter of “protecting human and animals lives” as well as the cost of replacing machinery.
“Fires can spread at frightening speeds and modern combines are such large complex machines that one component overheating or wiring short-circuiting can lead to a huge fire.
“The risk of fire spreading is much higher in hot dry summers – but fires also break out and destroy expensive combines in cooler, damper weather.
“Keeping people safe must always be the first priority, and we urge farmers and their staff to only tackle a machinery fire if it is small and they can do so without putting themselves at risk.”
