Shropshire Star

Tractor fires in Shrewsbury and Clun

A trailer of flammable fertiliser was narrowly saved from going in up in flames after the tractor pulling it set alight.

Published
A tractor went up in flames at a Newcastle farm. Pic: @SFRS_Clun

But the tractor was not lucky, one of three agricultural vehicles to be the victim of fire in just three days.

Fire crews have been called out blazes at Newcastle, near Clun, as well as Westbury and Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury, to tackle the farm equipment fires.

None are being treated as suspicious, rather they are thought to be down to a combination of electrical faults and the hotter weather.

The first blaze broke out at a farm near Newcastle at about 1.30pm on Saturday, with fire crews from Bishop's Castle and Clun called to the scene.

A spokesman for Shropshire Fire and Rescue said: "The tractor was about 30 per cent destroyed by fire. There was a trailer attached that they managed to remove before the fire spread.

"The farmer uncoupled the trailer of ammonium nitrate fertiliser, which prevented the fire escalating."

He said breathing apparatus and a hose reel jet were sued to put it out in about 45 minutes, and an environmental pack was also used to prevent run-off from entering the water course, which in the area around Clun is home to the protected fresh water pearl mussel.

On Sunday, at about 9am, fire crews from Shrewsbury and Minsterley were called to deal with what was initially classed as a tractor fire at Rowley, Westbury, in the countryside to the west of Shrewsbury.

On arrival crews found it was an agricultural telehandler that had caught fire and the main blaze has been put out.

Crews doused the vehicle with a water jet to be sure, and used a thermal imaging camera to locate hot spots.

Finally another agricultural telehandler was completely destroyed by fire at about 10am yesterday at Lythwood, Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury.

Two crews from Shrewsbury used breathing aparatus and a water jet to put out the fire by about 10.30am.

The fire is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault.

A spokesman for Shropshire Fire and Rescue said the weather had also been warmer and drier across the weekend in many parts, which may have played a role.