The silage harvesting season is in full swing due to the extended period of fine weather, but one unlucky farmer in the midlands saw his tractor go up in flames at the weekend as it was drawing in bales.
Taking advantage of the good weather, the farmer was making baled silage.
His 2WD Massey Ferguson 390 tractor had been drawing in bales all day yesterday, June 18.
The fire is believed to have begun possibly in the dash, with the flames engulfing the tractor quite quickly.
Despite the fire brigade arriving promptly on the scene, the tractor had already gone past the point of saving.
The fire destroyed much of the tractor; all of the seals were melted in the back-end and residual oil was dripping out.
The owner of the burnt-out vehicle has apparently put the unfortunate event down to bad luck – for working on a Sunday.
The Health and Safety Authority of Ireland (HSA) advises farmers to fit suitable fire-fighting equipment, such as fire extinguishers, to their machines, or keep them close at hand.
This equipment must also be serviced on a regular basis, it adds.
Contractor’s loading shovel burns out on busy street
Late last month, firefighters were called to an incident in a town in Northern Ireland after a contractor’s loading shovel caught fire.
The incident was reported on Wednesday, May 24, 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.
One unit from Banbridge Fire Station attended the scene; firefighters reportedly had the fire under control within 20 minutes of the incident being called in.
The fire is believed to have started accidentally; reports suggested that a mechanical fault may have been the cause.
The driver of the vehicle reportedly 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.
