Fire crews battle A2070 Brenzett haystack blazes
10:34, 30 August 2019
updated: 10:51, 30 August 2019
The first pictures and videos have emerged of the fires which engulfed two massive haystacks.
The fires are believed to have started around 9pm last night by the side of the A2070 between Romney Marsh and Ashford.
Crews had to shut the road around 1am because of the smoke.
The flames have died down but smoke is still proving an issue and at least one engine remains at the scene.
Of the two fires, the one close to Snave has affected around 200 hay bales, while the one a mile closer to Brenzett Green has reportedly taken up over 125 tonnes of the dried feed crop.
The road, which takes traffic off the M20, has been shut in both directions between the Ivy Church turn-off and Brenzett.
KFRS have issued two statements, one for each incident, as while fire engines did travel between the two fires they are currently being treated as separate.
Of the Snave fire, they said:"Kent Fire and Rescue Service was called to around 200 hay bales alight in a field near the A2070 in Snave, Ashford.
"At its height, four fire engines and a bulk water carrier were at the scene and firefighters have been working throughout the night using water from a hydrant, a hose reel jet and a fogging unit to reduce the fire spread.
"One fire engine remains at the scene this morning to dampen down hot spots."
Fire crews and police were at the scene of the fires through the night. Video: Amie Louise Scorer
Of the Brenzett fire, the statement said: "Kent Fire and Rescue Service was called to approximately 125 tonnes of hay alight in a field near the A2070, close to Brenzett Green and Brenzett Roundabout in Romney Marsh.
"At its height, two fire engines were at the scene and crews were using hose reel jets to prevent fire spread to an adjacent field. A bulk water carrier was also in attendance throughout the evening.
"One fire engine remains at the scene this morning to maintain a watching brief. No casualties have been reported and the cause is not known at this time."
This is the second incident involving hay bale fires in a matter of days, after fire crews battled a blaze near the A251 near Challock.
For more news on fires in the county, click here.
