Large straw fire at Briningham

Firefighters will spend the rest of the day tackling a large straw fire at Briningham near Holt.

Three tonnes went up in flames in a field along Holt Road and crews were called just after 6.30am this morning (Saturday).

Watch manager Tony Pointer said there was little the crew could do except watch it as it burned.

'The fire is adjacent to the road so, for safety reasons, we had to close that. We did initially have straw falling on to the carriage way,' he said.

Just one crew, from Holt, was in attendance and Mr Pointer expected the straw to carry on burning for the rest of the day.

A teleporter tractor was used to break the straw up and help it burn quicker, with fire crews hosing down the vehicle whenever it got too hot.

The watch manager said the cause of the fire was under investigation but it was suspected it was deliberate.

He added: 'This is a problem we have in rural areas. When large stacks of straw are left in rural areas, they are at risk.

'We would ask people to be careful when they are around things like this.'