Barn blaze is treated as suspicious

A FIRE that ripped through a barn and could have endangered the lives of residents in adjacent properties may have been started deliberately.

Investigations have now begun after firefighters tackled the blaze in a farm in Barrow throughout Wednesday night and spent most of yesterday still at the scene.

Crews were praised for their actions in the face of a limited water supply and an 11,000-volt power lines overhead.

Assistant divisional officer Ali Moseley said: "In the face of a large fire, the fact a house could have potentially got involved and the power lines overhead, the firecrews quickly prioritised the need to save the houses.

"They addressed their needs quickly and did a very good job in making sure it didn't spread to the house stopping the fire."

About 25 firefighters from Bury St Edmunds and Wickhambrook tackled the blaze at New Barn Farm, Church Lane, which started just after 11pm when 1,000 tonnes of straw was set alight.

The fire spread to a large barn and also nearby vehicles, outbuildings and an articulated lorry trailer.

ADO Moseley said firecrews had to react to the limited water supply at the scene.

He explained: "The crews were faced with difficulty because the remote location meant there was no fire hydrant close to hand, so we had to call for a water bowser .

"This is a factor we have to train for as quite often in remote locations, there is not an ideal amount of water available for this sort of fire.

"The adjacent houses only had some cracks to the guttering, but if it had been left for a couple more minutes, the houses would have probably been quite seriously involved."

Firecrews spent most of yesterday containing the fire and ADO Moseley said they were working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure there were no hazards caused from the run-off of the water.

He confirmed the cause of the fire was being treated as suspicious.