Firefighters tackle huge farm building blaze

Fire investigators are probing a major fire that gutted a farm building in Kent.

More than 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at Horsmonden Farm, near Tonbridge, which broke out just before 7.30pm on Wednesday night (15 August).

After almost 24 hours on site, fire crews left the farm on Thursday night as investigations began into the cause of the blaze, which consumed an 80sq m building.

Eight fire crews, a water unit and a number of support units were needed to extinguish the flames, along with the police, who were forced to close a road and set up an exclusion zone as a temporary precaution.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service said the fire had broken out in a farm building containing timber, vehicles and gas cylinders. No one was hurt and at this stage the cause is unknown.

While the blaze was eventually dampened, 15 firefighters remained at the farm until 6.30pm on Thursday evening, cooling potentially dangerous acetylene cylinders.

The exclusion zone has now been lifted and the buildings left in the care of the owner.

Earlier this week, firefighters tackled a fire in Barnsley, Yorkshire, which destroyed a large field of wheat.