THE danger of pollution to a nearby stream resulted in a barn being left to burn itself out last Thursday morning.
The alarm was raised by the occupants of a nearby property.
Two fire crews from Tavistock originally attended the blaze in the open-ended single storey barn at Ash Mill Farm in Grenofen, but the building was well-alight when they arrived at 1.30am. Crews from Yelverton and Princetown were also mobilised.
The crews managed to stop the fire spreading to adjacent properties, but an environmental officer was called due to a stream running alongside the farmyard.
There was concern that if hoses had continued to be played on the barn, the water would have run off into the stream, which flowed into the River Tavy.
In view of the possible presence of salmon spawn as well as trout, it was decided to let the barn — which contained around ten tons of last year's hay and straw — burn out.
One fire crew remained on site until 10am, and the situation was checked again at 12 noon.
Police are investigating the cause of the blaze, which is thought to be suspicious. The nearby road was closed while the fire crews fought the blaze.
Anyone with any information regarding the fire is asked to contact the CID office at Tavistock Police Station on 08705 777444.