Busy night for Shropshire firefighters as they deal with series of fires in the open
It was a busy night for Shropshire firefighters with crews dispatched to a series of incidents across the county.
The heatwave and dry ground conditions have resulted in a host of fires in the open, with crews called to a spate of incidents in the past 24 hours.
Overnight crews have been at a field in Moorfield Lane, Newport, where they have been dealing with a blaze involving around 100 tonnes of hay bales.
Crews were initially alerted to the situation at around 1.39am today - Wednesday, August 13, and they remained at the scene this morning.
The incident was not the only one faced by county firefighters, with three crews sent to a fire in the open at Pulverbatch, near Minsterley at around 4.30pm yesterday.
A crew was also sent to deal with a bonfire which got out of control at Marche Lane in Westbury, near Shrewsbury, with one crew sent to the incident at around 5.22pm.
The fire had started to affect a nearby hedge, with the crew using a hosereel jet to put the blaze out.
Two crews were sent to Billingsley near Bridgnorth at around 5.39pm because of an incident where corn inside a combine harvester had ignited.
The firefighters used hosereel jets and small gear to deal with the fire.
A Wellington crew was sent to an incident at Conroy Drive in Telford at around 9.18pm, due to concerns about a 'controlled burn' spreading.
An update from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "This incident was a controlled burn within a brazier but due to embers and current weather conditions, precautions have been taken and the controlled burn was extinguished using buckets of water."
Two crews meanwhile were sent to an incident on the A5 at the Gobowen bypass, shortly before 9pm.
The incident involved a car fire which spread to grass, affecting around 60 square metres.
Firefighters wore breathing apparatus while using hosereel jets to deal with the incident which was handed over to the police.
It comes after officers deal with a large wild fire in Woodside, Telford, yesterday afternoon near to a cemetery.
Following the incident Station Manager Craig Jackson issued a plea to the public to take precautions due to the dry period, and avoid having barbecues, bonfires, and to be careful disposing of cigarettes or glass bottles.
