Huge fire tears through fields in South Oxfordshire

It is thought the blaze was started accidently near the village of Ewelme yesterday evening and the fire service have confirmed 800sqm of fields have been destroyed. 

#134 TURNOUT 17:59 MP10 field fire Ewelme, over 800mtr2 of fields destroyed by Fire multiple hose reels water packs and beaters used, assisted by farmers plowing Fire breaks and @RAFBenson fire crew and TVP helicopter crews remain on scene damping down

— Henley Fire Station (@HenleyFire) July 14, 2018

Dramatic pictures posted by onlookers showed smoke and flames reaching high in to the air as the fields burnt. 

A farmer using a tractor worked to created a fire break between the fields to stop it spreading while crews from Didcot and Wallingford Fire Stations used hose reels and beaters to control the blaze. 

At the height of the incident a total of 10 fire engines plus support vehicles were involved in bringing the fire under control.

Thames Valley Police assisted with road closures and a crew from the nearby RAF base at Benson were also on the scene. 

Witnesses said the fire could have spread much further without the fast action of those involved.  

Group Manager Dave Bray, who attended the incident, said: “this was a very challenging incident for all of the fire crews as they had to work in very hot ambient temperatures.

"Once again it demonstrates just how well the Fire and Rescue Services located across the Thames Valley are able to work together.

"We were also aided greatly by the local farmers, who upon identifying the presence of fire immediately commenced creating fire breaks around the outside of the fields by ploughing through the crop.

Picture by the Association of Heritage Engineers

"Fortunately this helped us in preventing the fire spreading to a nearby pig farm, as well as other buildings.

"Thames Valley Police were also a great help, as they closed the surrounding roads so that the fire appliances and tractors could move back and forth across the area freely.

"They also gave us access to the National Police Air Service, which was equally invaluable as it gave us a birds eye view of the scene enabling us to direct our ground crews around the perimeter of the fire, since the area was of such a size that this could not be easily be determined from down in the fields”.