Firefighters battled for more than 32 hours to control a straw barn fire in Farndon

Aug 25 2011 by Rachel Flint, Chester Chronicle

A FARMER watched helplessly as thousands of pounds worth of hay was reduced to ashes as flames ripped through a hay barn.

At just after 3.45am on Saturday Nigel Dutton was preparing to travel to work on the family-owned dairy farm at Marsh House Farm, Barton Lane, Farndon when he spotted 60ft flames shooting into the sky from his bedroom window.

When he arrived at the farm, which he works at with his brother Derrick, he discovered a large fire was raging and thick black smoke was pouring out of the large barn where the dairy farmers store mountains of straw.

Rita Dutton, who has owned CR Dutton & Sons since 1974, praised firefighters who battled for hours to stop the blaze spreading to neighbouring buildings.

“Thankfully no-one was killed and none of the animals were hurt.

“The fire brigade were brilliant, I cannot speak highly enough of them.

“My son moved the tractor which was next to the barn and moved the animals out of the nearby buildings.

“Fortunately, because it is the summer, we did not have any animals in the barn, in winter it could have been devastating.

“This is the first time we have ever had a fire at the farm. Unfortunately we had filled up the barn with extra straw this year, which is very expensive.

“The firefighters have left now but the barn is still smouldering, we are hoping to rebuild the barn in the future.”

Firefighters from Chester, Runcorn and Malpas fire stations spent more than 32 hours dousing the blaze with water to stop the flames spreading to nearby buildings and fields.

Crews pumped water from the River Dee on to the 400sq m barn, using a HPV from Congleton and an Environmental Unit from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

An investigation is being carried out into what started the fire which gutted the bar and damaged plastic guttering on a neighbouring building.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service are advising farmers to follow guidelines on their website following a spate of barn fires over the past month. For further information visit www.cheshirefire.gov.uk.