Danbury combine harvester fire affects 10 acres of crops

Fire crews from Chelmsford, Maldon, Rayleigh, Witham, Billericay and Burnham attended a fire in Ludgores Lane, Danbury, last night.

The service was alerted to the incident at 9.20pm after receiving multiple calls from members of the public.

Residents were advised to keep their doors and windows closed if they lived nearby.

Combine harvester: the farming equipment completely damaged by the fire (Image: Essex County Fire and Rescue Service)

When crews arrived, the fire had already spread to the crops surrounding the combine harvester.

About ten acres of crops were impacted by the fire before crews managed to put out the blaze by 11pm.

Firefighters, who believe the cause of the fire was accidental, remained at the scene to deal with the inferno affecting the combine harvester.

Damages vehicle: crews at the scene (Image: Essex County Fire and Rescue Service)

Craig McLellan, group manager,  said: "Crews did a fantastic job of surrounding the fire so quickly and stopping it from spreading.

"The fire affected about ten acres of crops so they had to work incredibly hard to extinguish it. I'd like to thank the farmer for assistance too.

"Due to the rural location, crews have set up a water relay to extinguish the fire affecting the combine harvester."