FIRECREWS from Tavistock, Bere Alston and Yelverton, plus support crews from Plymouth and Ivybridge, spent more than six hours battling a substantial barn blaze at a farm near Bere Alston on Tuesday. The barn, at Batten Farm, was filled with potatoes and straw. The contents and the barn itself were destroyed in the blaze. Tavistock fire chief Tim Smith said two main jets and three hosereels were used to bring the flames under control. The firecrews were supported by a water carrier from Plymouth, an incident command vehicle with support appliance from Plymouth, the Tavistock hose layer and an incident support unit from Ivybridge. ?We had to use masks as well, because the roof was made of asbestos,? said Mr Smith. He said firecrews, who were called to the scene at 11.40am, had no idea yet how the fire started ? no-one was injured in the incident and the crews were continuing to damp down as the Times went to press. l Firefighters from Bere Alston and Tavistock were called to deal with a potentially explosive fire involving an LPG gas cylinder at a property near Weir Quay last Saturday evening. The cylinder was alight when the crews arrived on the scene, but it had been taken outside the property. Crews used a hose reel to cool the cylinder and dry powder to extinguish the flames. Firefighters using two sets of breathing apparatus tackled a small blaze to an armchair and carpets inside the property. Bere Alston station officer Colin Shaw warned householders to be vigilant when using LPG cylinders and to take great care when attaching cylinders to appliances.
