A fire chief has praised farm contractors for their support and efforts in helping to extinguish a major blaze.

Ulverston Fire Station received a call from a farm in Urswick, near Ulverston, at approximately 9.30am last Tuesday.

Investigations are ongoing to find out the cause of the fire which involved a barn containing a large quantity of hay and straw.

Firefighters were at the incident for approximately 12 hours to extinguish the fire and then they returned the following morning at 6am to check that the scene was fully extinguished. 

It was extinguished using five appliances from Cumbria Fire and Rescue Services.

The five Cumbria appliances used during the fire were from Ulverston, Barrow, Arnside, Windermere, and Milnthorpe.

Jamie Coward, station manager at Ulverston Fire Station, said: "We would like to thank the farmer and the local farm contractors for their assistance in removing the hay and the straw from the barn, which assisted us in extinguishing the fire.

The Northern Farmer:

"Six people from the farm helped us during the incident.

"We worked in conjunction with the police and the Environment Agency to ensure that there was no danger to the public and the environment during this incident."

He added: "There were animals on the farm however they were not directly involved with the fire and therefore not injured."

A spokesperson for Barrow Fire Station said: "The crews worked closely with the farm staff, who were a pleasure to work with, which assisted greatly in concluding the incident efficiently and effectively."

Always call 999 to report a fire or incident.

For more information visit Cumbria Fire and Rescue here: https://www.cumbriafire.gov.uk/