Fire crews and farmers battle blaze to save 12,000 bales
Firefighters and farmers are battling to save 6,000t of straw at a fire in Lincolnshire which has already destroyed 12,000 bales.
The blaze started in the 24,000-bale field stack between Quarrington and Silk Willoughby near Sleaford at 6pm on Sunday 19 October.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue service said that half the stack had been burnt so far and farmers were helping to remove the remaining 12,000 bales to a safe area.
See also: Fire crews tackle huge barn fire near Inverness
But the fire service spokesman said that the operation was going slowly because they could only move trailer loads of 36 bales at a time.
(Video courtesy Twin Focus Photography)
He added that firefighters from four stations across the county had tackled the blaze all night and were still on scene on Monday morning (20 October).
Eyewitnesses said that a huge orange glow had lit up the night sky and could be seen for miles around.
A local councillor added that the power station did not have enough capacity to store the straw at its site.
In an interview with the BBC he spoke of his fear that the enormous stack was a fire hazard.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Police have arrested three, male juveniles on suspicion of arson in connection with the incident. One boy has been bailed pending further investigations. The other two were due to be quizzed by officers on Monday (20 October).
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Photo courtesy of Councillor Mark Suffield (@Cllr_Suffield)