A large farm fire in Staffordshire which took the fire service three days to tackle is believed to be have been caused deliberately.
A large scale fire began in one of the agricultural buildings at Basford Bridge Farm, Cheddleton on Tuesday (October 30).
At the height of the incident, eight crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service were in attendance and had to split the area into three sectors in order to tackle the fire, which involved a 40metre by 30metre building full of hay.
They used several main jets and a high volume pump to put out the flames, whilst machinery was used to remove some of the straw.
The firefighters, with the help of the occupier, continued to remove the hay and damp down hot spots through to Thursday (November 1).
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has said the cause of the large scale fire is believed to be deliberate.
No one was hurt during the fire and no animals on the site were injured.
The blaze caused disruption to the local area with Basford Bridge Lane closed to through traffic for the duration of the operation.
Fire Investigation Officer Kelvin Knapper said: “We believe this incident was caused deliberately which is extremely worrying and disappointing. Fortunately no one was hurt during the fire and no animals on the site were injured either.
“This fire has taken up considerable time and resources and has no doubt been distressing for the owner. The Service was at this farm for around three days and several crews were needed to tackle the blaze.”
Mr Knapper added: “These resources could have been used elsewhere to help others in trouble which is why the fact it appears to be a deliberate incident is frustrating for everyone at SFRS.
“We try to educate people of the dangers of setting fires as they can easily lead to injury or death. Anyone starting fires could face five years in prison or a £5,000 fine,” he said.
The incident follows a similar suspicious blaze in Nottinghamshire which destroyed hay bales worth £30,000, leaving a farmer "considerably out of pocket".
