This is the dramatic sight of 700 tonnes of straw ablaze at a Norfolk barn.
The burning flames and sky high smoke greeted firefighters as they arrived at the scene in Scoulton Road, Little Ellingham, near Attleborough, after reports of a large straw stack at an agricultural barn.
Yet arriving about 7pm on Friday (June 8), the single crew from Hingham soon found there was little that could be done to tackle the inferno.
A spokesman for the fire service at the scene said the risk of trying to tackle the blaze would be polluting nearby waterways, should water being used to extinguish the fire run off into any streams.
'We need to protect the environment,' the spokesman said.
'This is a watching brief. We're not doing anything other than making sure it doesn't go any further.'
These images, taken around 11pm, show the fire at three hours old - still burning strongly and lighting up the night sky.
Fire crews remained at the scene all night and were still there this morning, however they have now left the area The Hingham crew was relieved by colleagues from Watton, before they, in turn, made way for a crew from Attleborough.
After the Attleborough crew left, firefighters from Wymondham took over the watching brief.
The fire is still smouldering and the barn is now taped off.The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here