150 tonnes of hay burned
Firefighters spent 15 hours battling a blaze which ripped through around 150 tonnes of hay and involved “large amounts of asbestos”. More than 30 firefighters worked through the night on Saturday to put out the hay barn fire - believed to be arson - after they were alerted to it just after 7pm. Hay at Rushmoor Dairy Farm, Old Down Road, Badminton, was still smouldering and there were “pockets of fire”, still in evidence at 12.30pm on Sunday, according to Avon Fire and Rescue. The roof of the barn was made of white asbestos cement sheeting. Fire officers made regular checks of the wind direction for fear that particles from the burning roof would drift towards homes in the area. But fire officer Justin Hobbs said there was no risk to the public from the asbestos particles. “We made regular checks of the wind direction during the night,” he said. “The wind direction was in our favour and was going across the surrounding fields. “Any particles were contained within the farm grounds.” Firefighters left the scene at about 10am on Sunday but returned three-hourly to make sure the remaining hay, which cannot be fed to the cattle, was burning safely. A team of 35 firefighters from stations across the force area battled the blaze using high-pressure jets. Crews also managed to stop the fire from spreading to an adjacent industrial unit at the farm. Fire investigation officers said they believed it was started deliberately and that they had handed the matter over to the police.