A tractor was ‘100% destroyed’ in a recent fire in Dorset, fire and rescue services have confirmed.
Dorset fire and rescue service were called to the scene of a tractor on fire on the B3390 road, Waddock Drove last Sunday, September 26.
Six firepersons successfully put out the fire; however, the machine was completely lost to the flames.
In a statement, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said:
“We were called to Waddock Drove at 4.41p.m on Sunday afternoon to a large vehicle fire.
Crews from Maiden Newton, Wareham (two), Blandford, Dorchester and the water carrier from Poole attended the incident, finding a tractor well alight in a hedge on arrival.
“Six breathing apparatus wearers used hose reel jets and a main line to extinguish the fire, but the tractor was 100% destroyed. Our stop came at 6.31p.m.”
Farm fires
Also last week, on Friday, September 17, fire services in Devon tackled a telehandler that had caught on fire in the middle of a field, just one field away from the road.
Current policies advise against taking fire appliances into dry cut fields due to the potential for hot exhausts, which are low to the ground, igniting dry vegetation.
Despite this, the fire officer in charged made the decision to proceed into the field to prevent rapid escalation of the incident.
This decision, according to Kingsbridge fire station, was made taking into account the distance from the road to the fire, the effectiveness of action by the crew alone and on the travelling times for sufficient additional crews to arrive.
While the fire was successfully and safely distinguished, the manitou was completely destroyed.
See photos of the fire here.