‘WE LOST £30,000 IN BARN BLAZE’
A FAMILY say they have lost up to £30,000 worth of hay in a devastating barn fire last week.
Fire crews were called to a farm in the Peterstone area of Wentloog, Cardiff, just after 10am last Wednesday.
Nine crews were initially sent to the scene and firefighters continued to battle the blaze throughout the night.
The farm owners said there were no animals in the barn at the time but around 1,500 bales of hay, worth more than £30,000, were destroyed.
Anne Prosser, 57, who runs the farm with her husband Andrew, 60, said they weren’t sure what caused the fire.
She said: “Me and my husband woke up around 6am to do the VAT and it was an unusually foggy morning but we didn’t expect anything.
“My husband tended to the sheep and could smell burning hay but we carried on with our day and had breakfast. Then we saw the barn and saw there were huge flames coming out of it and we feared the worst.
“We phoned the fire brigade and it felt like hours before they came. Luckily there were no animals in the barn but we lost an incredible amount of hay.”
Anne said they had a successful summer producing lots of hay which would either be sold or used to feed their own animals.
She also said two barns have been badly damaged and they were waiting to see the true extent of the destruction caused by the fire.
“The first thing I thought was, ‘Oh my God, is it due to combustion or arson?’ We haven’t harmed anyone so I was worried as to how this would have happened.
“It was really scary but the firefighters were there all day and we provided them with tea, coffee and cakes to keep them going.
“My husband is really depressed after how hard we have worked all summer. He is busy helping clean up and sort out the mess, but that means he isn’t working so we’re just constantly losing out.
“The smell of the fire was really strong. I’ve never been in a house fire but the smell was so strong and was straight down the back of your throat. It was horrible.”
The couple’s daughter, Charlotte, said her distraught father rang her on the morning of the fire.
At the time of the fire she said: “There are about 1,500 bales of hay in the barn, which is our livelihood, but thankfully there were no animals in there. It is still devastating. If it had been this time next week it would have been filled with horses and sheep.
“We have managed to move the horses out of their field and away from the worst of the smoke. We have been told to stay well back as well as it has spread from one barn to the next. The fire is still going and the fire crews think it will go on for another 24-48 hours.”
Since the blaze, Anne and her family have been inundated with people offering to send her money, fodder and groceries.
She said people from all across the UK have been in touch to offer support.
She added: “I really thought chivalry was dead and no-one helps each other, everyone just does their own thing, but this has truly changed my mind.
“So many people have offered to help – family, friends and people we don’t even know.
“We are so grateful and want to thank everyone that has offered to help us out.
“I also want to thank my two daughters Emma and Charlotte, who both work in the public sector but were up all night helping us by driving tractors.”
A South Wales Fire Service spokeswoman said: “At approximately 10.06am on Tuesday, October 23, 2019, we received reports of an agricultural barn fire in the Peterstone area of Wentloog, Cardiff. Crews attended the scene and worked to extinguish the fire.
“Our supposed cause at this time is accidental.”