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Combine harvester stone spark starts field fire

Alex PopeBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
News imageNorthamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service A large blackened field, with trees all around the perimeter, and homes to the top right, and a pylon to the top left. Other fields, that are not burnt are around the area. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service
Crews from Daventry, Mereway, Towcester, Moulton, Kettering, and Oundle were called to the scene

An accidental 40 acre field fire started after a stone became caught in the mechanism of a combine harvester, creating sparks that ignited the dry crop.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to a farm at about 17:20 BST on Wednesday between Nether Heyford and Weedon Bec.

It said five fire crews, from across the county, attended and worked "quickly to prevent the fire from spreading further across the field and surrounding areas".

They also put out the fire that had spread to hedgerows and a tree.

News imageNorthamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service A scene from above of a burnt field with trees all around it, and a large area of water. You can see burnt crops and murky water. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service
The scene was monitored by the fire service and a farm worker "in case there are any signs of reignition"

A spokesperson from the service said: "Multiple hose reel jets, wildfire backpacks, beaters and other equipment were used to extinguish the fire and damp down hotspots".

A drone was used to identify remaining hotspots, allowing crews to carry out targeted damping down operations around the perimeter of the field.

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