FIREFIGHTERS tackled a large barn fire for more than six hours in Gulworthy last Thursday (November 5).

Two crews from Tavistock, one from Bere Alston and the water carrier from Plympton attended the fire in the single storey barn, which contained approximately 150 tonnes of sawdust. The welfare unit from Crediton was also called due to the protracted nature of the incident.

Crews attended the 80 metres by 40 metres barn, which was split into four bays, just after 11am. One end bay containing recycled sawdust animal bedding was involved in the fire due to the spontaneous combustion of the sawdust.

By 12.30pm crews were using a tractor to remove sawdust from the barn and using two jets, one ground monitor and a thermal imaging camera to tackle the blaze.

Steady progress was being made and by 4pm relief crews from Okehampton, Crownhill and Greenbank were called to take over. Efforts continued to remove sawdust from the barn to the adjacent field using farm machinery. Three spray jets were in use to extinguish pockets of fire and mitigate dust explosion.

Just before 5.30pm the stop message was received. The compartment of the barn involved in the blaze, 20m x 30m, had 30% of its contents severely damaged by the fire with the remainder of contents affected by heat and water. Sixty percent of the barn’s contents had been removed by tractor and trailer and the remainder was left to be monitored by the farmer.