More firefighting trips to smouldering barn after Perthshire blaze

Crews have returned to site three times since September 15 fire

Firefighters have had to return to a smouldering barn fire in Perthshire three times since it went up in flames last month.

Crews initially raced to Mains of Panholes Farm near Blackford on the evening of September 15 to douse a blaze in a storage shed.

Fire teams remained on site all of that night and well into the next day bringing the incident under control.

Investigators later revealed they were working on a theory that the fire had been started deliberately.

The shed, which is close to the rail line on the edge of the village, contained 1,500 bales of straw or hay, 300 tonnes of grain and some farm equipment when it was set alight.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has now revealed its crews have been called out three more times to the farm.

Bosses say the layout of the barn prevented them from fully smothering the fire at the outset and it had not been safe to send firefighters into the centre of the area where the grain was stored.

Members of the public have raised the alarm each time after dying embers have reignited the materials left inside the building.

Some Blackford residents have complained about smoke billowing out of the barn and across the village.

Both appliances from Auchterarder fire station were called out on Wednesday.

Fire chiefs say they are hopeful that the last of the hot spots have been dealt with.

A fire service spokesperson said: “SFRS have been back out to dampen the site of the large grain fire at Mains of Panholes Farm on September 15.

“Due to the location of the building where the fire was, it has not been safe for crews to fully extinguish the grain, and it has kept catching fire as it has been smouldering.

“Wednesday was the third time we have returned, after being alerted to more flames.

“When the crew left on Wednesday, there were no obvious hot spots remaining.”

Nobody has been arrested in relation to the initial fire, however police are still appealing for information to help them trace the culprits.

A police spokesperson said: “Officers are following positive lines of inquiry.”

When the crew left on Wednesday, there were no obvious hot spots remaining. FIRE SERVICE SPOKESPERSON

Picture: Kim Cessford. The scene at Mains of Panholes Farm during the initial blaze.