Fire crews battle barn blaze

Four local fire crews battled a barn fire in Harbourneford in the early hours of yesterday morning. 

Buckfastleigh Fire Crew, Ashburton Fire Crew, Ivybridge Fire Crew and Plympton Fire Crew were called to the scene on Sunday morning, just after midnight, where they discovered that they had attended this location before. 

A spokesperson for Buckfastleigh Fire Station said: "On arrival we realised that we had been to this barn before and set about laying hose across fields taking the most direct route to the remote building.

"Joined by colleagues from Ashburton Fire Station, Ivybridge Fire Station and a water carrier from Plympton Fire Station a portable pump was set up halfway in the field to boost the pressure supplying two fire hoses that were focused on the fire.

"The officer in charge took the decision to deal with the fire in a defensive manner due to previously gained knowledge about the hazards present including large amounts of asbestos and cylinders that were in the building.

"Crews remained on scene until 5am and then revisited the site again at 9am and confirmed the fire to be extinguished and handed responsibility back to the building's owners."