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Home » News & Events » 2011 » January » Fire at farm in Garway

Fire at farm in Garway

Fire at farm in Garway

Firefighters from Ewyas Harold were first to arrive at the farm, and following an initial assessment, made pumps four, with two pumps from Hereford plus one from Whitchurch also attending along with the water carrier from Ross-on-Wye.

They found a number of buildings at the farm on fire, with some containing cattle, a large amount of hay and straw, and farm machinery. The farmer also informed firefighters that around 29 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (used as fertiliser) and a large quantity of asbestos sheeting were stored in one of the buildings involved in the fire.

Phil Major, Station Commander and Hazmat Officer with H&WFRS, said: “The presence of ammonium nitrate along with diesel-powered farm equipment stored nearby was of huge concern to us, and with the added complication of asbestos sheeting in the same building, the incident had the potential to be very serious.”

He explained that the occupants at the farm were evacuated to a safe distance and that firefighters used curtain sprays and ground monitors to cool surrounding buildings, helping protect livestock and other farm machinery not involved in the fire, and preventing the spread of fire to unaffected areas.

The Hazmat Officer from H&WFRS worked alongside officers from the Environment Agency and Environmental Health at the scene to prevent the catastrophic effects of the ammonium nitrate entering the River Monnow nearby.

The fire was brought under control by around 2am the following morning (Saturday 15 January) although firefighters and the Hazmat Officer remained at the scene until around 5pm to damp down any hotspots.

The cause of the fire has yet to be established.