Harrogate firefighters dealt with five field fires on the hottest day of the year today.
On a day when North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident due to the number of call-outs, the crew at Harrogate attended three major fires.
At first they were called to a blaze near Forest Lane in Harrogate at about 1pm where an area of woodland measuring 20m x 20m had caught fire. Harrogate fire station put on Facebook:
“We believe a discarded cigarette, or strong sunlight shining through a broken glass bottle may have caused the fire.”
After extinguishing the fire, one of the Harrogate appliances was sent to a standing crop on fire in a field near Marton cum Grafton, between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough.
The fire station said on Facebook:
“Due to the extremely dry conditions the fire caught hold of four fields very quickly. The wind direction kept changing making the condition challenging.
“Fire crews also came to help from Knaresborough fire station, Ripon, Acom, and the water bowser from Tadcaster.
“Crews worked hard in the extreme heat (nearly 40 degrees!) to extinguish the fire using hosereel jets, main branches and beaters.
“Thanks also goes to the farmers for helping out and putting a fire break in the crop.”
While this was going on, the second Harrogate fire engine was called to a field on fire near Northallerton.
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“As you can imagine, the ground is tinder-dry at the moment making it easy for fire to spread quickly.
“So please do be careful if you are out and about. Make sure you discard cigarettes carefully and avoid having barbecues.”
The scale of this week’s field fire near Ripon is captured in this drone image sent to the Stray Ferret.
Harrogate district drone photographer Paul Smith took the image on Tuesday, the day after the blaze occurred at Hutton Bank, Sharow.
It was one of two crop fires in the district that day. At one point the flames came close to the main A61 road.
Ripon and Harrogate fire crews were first at the scene and requested a further four appliances due to the 300-metre fire front.
Firefighters worked with the farmer to extinguish the blaze, in which nobody was hurt.
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Firefighter photos reveal extent of Harrogate district field fire
Photos released by Harrogate firefighters have revealed the extent of yesterday’s field fire near Ripon.
The blaze, which occurred just after 4pm at Hutton Bank, Sharow, was one of two crop fires in the district as the heatwave hits.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log says:
“Ripon and Harrogate crews attended reports of a field of standing crops on fire.
“They requested a further four appliances due to the 300m fire front. Crews worked with the farmer to extinguish the fire. Incident has been scaled down now.”
Minutes later crews from York, Northallerton and Colburn attended a large field fire measuring approx 100 metres at Dishforth.
They used pitchforks and beaters and a hose reel to extinguish the flames.
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