Shropshire Star

Firefighters tackle huge straw bale fire near Shawbury - with video

Firefighters battled throughout the night tackling a blaze involving 150 tonnes of straw at a farmland near Market Drayton.

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Fire fighters assess the scene of the fire

First reports of the blaze came in at just after 8pm on Tuesday night.

Three fire engines including the Incident Support Unit from Hodnet, Shrewsbury and Wellington were sent to the fire close to the A53 at Shawbury.

By Wednesday lunchtime all that could be seen was a cloud of smoke and, along with the emergency crews, the farmer used heavy machinery to ensure the flames were out and would not spread to surrounding hedgerows.

Crews remained on site overnight damping down the fire and checking it had not spread to neighbouring land.

This afternoon, firefighters from Market Drayton worked with the farmer using a mechanical loader to fully extinguish the fire.

A Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "The fire involved around 150 tonnes of straw covering an area of 30metres by 10metres. Two main jets were in use to fight the fire and the Police were also in attendance."