Four Harrogate district fire crews battled a blaze in an outbuilding in North Rigton this morning.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service firefighters were at the scene for three hours after being summoned at 6.26am.

Two crews from Harrogate, one from Knaresborough, one from Ripon fought the fire with the aid of a Boroughbridge water bowser, which is a large water tank on wheels.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service told the Stray Ferret at 12.40pm that a fire investigation officer remained at the scene to identify the cause of the blaze.

The 10 metre x five metre outbuilding is next to a property on High Moor Road, driving towards Beckwithshaw.

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Sixteen sheep died when they fell through broken ice on a pond in Burton Leonard yesterday.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the village at 5.30pm, when much of the Harrogate district was covered by ice and snow.

The service’s incident report said:

“A number of crews attended a large quantity of sheep that had wandered on to a frozen pond, causing the ice to break.

“Crews worked to rescue the sheep using two inflatable walkways, raft, lines, lighting, thermal imaging camera and crew power.

“Unfortunately of the 19 sheep rescued, 16 were dead.”

Rising temperatures have seen much of the snow and ice thaw today but many minor roads and pavements remain treacherous.

A woman from Pannal has spoken of her flooding ordeal last night when Storm Bella wreaked havoc.

Suzanne Walker, who lives alone in a basement apartment on Leeds Road, had to call North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service when water levels rose to her bedroom window.

It was the second time in three months she has had to call the fire service to pump water away from her rear window and a meter cupboard.

Fortunately there was no major damage but the proximity of the water to an electric switchboard, along with the fact that this has happened before, has left her extremely anxious.

Ms Walker, who is a director of the apartment block management company, Fieldhurst Management Company, dialled 999 shortly after midnight when she noticed the water level rising. She said:

“It’s extremely annoying and frustrating, not to mention stressful, watching dirty water rise to such a level that you know your bed is on the other side of the wall, not to mention electrics too.”

The fire crew arrived to pump the water away. Water had entered the external meter cupboard, which houses the meters of all seven of the apartments in the block.

Similar high water levels were seen on October 3. Photograph: Suzanne Walker.

Since the first flooding incident after heavy rain on October 3, Ms Walker has contacted several organisations to try to find out where the water is coming from. It is thought the water is jetting out of pipes near to the apartment.

She added:

“No one is taking responsibility for the pipes or the land where the jetting company are telling me they think the issue is.

“It makes you anxious and worried every time it rains as we don’t know how high it would reach.

“I’ve lived in Pannal over 30 years and at this property for the last 10 years and I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”

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Ms Walker said she intends to contact Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well as councillors at North Yorkshire County Council and Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council seeking help.

Flood warnings remain in place on the River Nidd and River Ure. The government’s flood information service is giving updates on its website.

Fire crews were called to Langthorpe last night after a dog bed warmer was left in a microwave for too long.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said two crews attended the incident at the village near Boroughbridge at about 10.30pm last night.

The incident filled the kitchen with smoke, making it difficult for the crew to pinpoint the source. A thermal imaging camera was used to overcome this problem.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement the microwave had overheated because the dog bed warmer had been left in the microwave for too long.

No details of the extent of the damage were given although it is believed to be purely smoke-related.

The crews ventilated the kitchen before leaving the address in the evening.

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Firefighters using breathing apparatus were called to an oven fire in Harrogate early this morning when a plastic toaster was put inside an oven.

The toaster caught fire and two women who were in the house at the time received precautionary check-ups from paramedics at the scene.

Two fire crews from Harrogate and one from Knaresborough were called to the incident on Otley Road at 2.36am.

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North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said the women were in their early 20s but did not name them.

The log said smoke detectors were fitted at the property, adding:

“The cause is believed to be careless use of a heat source. Crews used two breathing apparatus and one hose reel.”