Fire service reminding people the risks dry weather pose following 'large' fire near Bromsgrove
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service say on Saturday 12 July at 5.40pm, crews were called out to a large fire in the open at Linehouse Lane made up of around approximately 80 acres of standing crop
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service are reminding people of the dangers the warm and dry weather can cause after a fire broke out near Bromsgrove over the weekend.
A service spokesperson said that on Saturday 12 July at 5.40pm, crews were called out to a large fire in the open at Linehouse Lane, near Bromsgrove.
The fire covered a number of fields which made up around approximately 80 acres of standing crop, a tractor, and a stable block, plus one container used to store approximately 30 tonnes of hay bales and a major incident was declared.
Twelve vehicles from across the two counties attended the scene where they were supported by colleagues from West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Ambulance., with five tractors with ploughs used to create fire breaks.
It added firefighters and fire control worked tirelessly to deal with the incident, with crews working to tackle the blaze and bring it under control with the support of local farmers who helped create the fire break.
Group commander Simon Cusack was one of the two tactical commanders that were on duty and he says the fire service continues to assess the threat of wildfires and praised teams for their quick response.
"As a fire and rescue service we closely monitor activities and events so then we can respond appropriately," he said.
"A number of our firefighters are actually on-call members of staff, so they are individuals who live and work in their local community and at times like this when we know it's going to be busy we're really grateful to their employers and also their family for being so understanding.
"We'd like to ask people to be mindful of dropping their litter because you can get reflected light from glass and also be careful with their cigarette ends."
The fire service also confirmed in a statement fifty nearby houses were evacuated, with residents being moved to a rest centre and safely returned home that evening.
No injuries were reported and it added it does not believe the fire was deliberate and arson was not suspected.