Police hunt barn blaze arsonists
STRAW AND HAY DESTROYED
THESE images show the wall of flames firefighters faced as they battled through the night to put out a huge barn fire.
Dozens of firefighters were involved as the blaze at a farm in Packington, near Ashby, which was an arson attack, ripped through a barn half the size of a football pitch on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Police are hunting the arsonist after an investigation revealed the blaze at a farm in Spring Lane had been started on purpose.
Crews from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service spent hours extinguishing the blaze after it broke out at about 9.15pm on Saturday.
Police advised residents to keep their windows and doors closed as thick smoke from the fire filled the air.
The blaze was in a barn measuring 50m by 25m and contained 300 tonnes of straw and hay.
Livestock had to be moved from a nearby barn because the blaze was in danger of spreading.
The barn, straw and hay were all destroyed in the blaze, and police say it has caused significant financial loss to the farmer.
No-one was injured in the incident, nor was any livestock.
Fire crews from Ashby, Coalville, Swadlincote, Castle Donington, Kibworth, Shepshed, Loughborough, Eastern, Western and Hinckley all tackled the blaze.
Detective Constable Ken Huddart, the investigating officer, said: “This kind of incident causes significant risk to the safety of the public and our colleagues of the fire service.
“We are keen to hear from anybody who saw any suspicious activity within Packington and the surrounding area during the evening.”
Anyone with any information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, free and anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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