Quick-thinking farmers hailed for preventing major crop blaze in north Shropshire

Firefighters have thanked farmers after they leapt into action to halt a crop blaze in north Shropshire.

The Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to Soudley, near Market Drayton, at around 5pm on Saturday, following reports of a crop fire.

Crews from Market Drayton, Newport and Telford Central fire stations were sent to the scene.

When they arrived, around 30 square metres of standing crops were already alight but farmers had used agricultural machinery to carve out an effective fire break, a move fire crews say was crucial in preventing the blaze from escalating across the field.

Firefighters then used jets to extinguish the flames, with a farm‑supplied water bowser deployed to soak the area and eliminate remaining hotspots.

No injuries were reported, and the fire is believed to have started accidentally while the field was being combined.

A spokesperson for Market Drayton Fire Station said: “The farmers who were on scene had acted quickly, their swift actions played a vital role in preventing the fire from spreading further.

“A big thank you to the farmers for their quick thinking and assistance, which helped bring the incident to a safe conclusion.”