Northamptonshire fire crews attend 48 incidents in one day
Firefighters attend multiple fires across the county, including those involving farm machinery
Last updated 9th Jul 2026
People in Northamptonshire are being asked to take extra precautions after fire crews tackled 48 incidents across the county in one day.
Firefighters reported several field fires caused by farm machinery amidst the dry conditions due to the warm weather.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service have requested the community's support to prevent fires, advising against holding bonfires and urging caution when using barbecues to prevent flames from spreading to fences or hedges.
One of the largest incidents involved four crews, including one from Leicestershire, responding to a blaze at Sulby Hall Old Drive in Sulby at around 12:40pm on Tuesday (7 July).
The fire damaged a combine harvester and spread across 15 acres of farmland.
Firefighters used hose-reel jets, beaters, and wildfire backpacks to extinguish the flames.
Other incidents included a manure fire within a barn on Raunds Road in Chelveston, a field fire near Yelvertoft involving a combine harvester, and a field fire in Church Stowe caused by an overheated hay baler.
Additional fires occurred at a commercial property on West Street in Moulton and a house in Newton Road, Northampton.
Group Manager Neil Sadler said, “Although we were very busy, we were able to sufficiently cover all parts of the county safely throughout the day.
"As well as our own incidents, we deployed a large number of resources to assist other emergency services, including at a railway incident in Bugbrooke and supporting police in St Andrew’s Road in Northampton after the discovery of a suspicious device.
“However we had several fires yesterday that could have been prevented, and that potentially diverts resources away from critical incidents. So we would ask residents to remain alert and follow the safety advice that we are putting out on our social media feeds to try and prevent any further incidents that may stretch our resources.
“Please ensure that any cigarettes or barbecues are safely disposed of, and ensure you stay safe in and around the water. Please only call 999 if it’s a genuine emergency, as our Fire Control operators are extremely busy taking calls and deploying resources to these incidents.
“We would also ask the farming community to take extra care, as overheated machinery can cause field fires that require many fire crews to attend and prevent the flames from spreading further.”