18/12/2008 - Furness firefighters bring Barrow farm blaze under control

A farm fire near Barrow has been brought under control thanks to a major effort from firefighters in the south of the county.

At 07:45 this morning Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service received an emergency call reporting a fire at Sink Fall Farm on Rakesmoor Lane in the town.

Five crews from Barrow, Walney and Ulverston were scrambled to attend the blaze which included the threat of over 3,500 litres of diesel on the property along with gas cylinders and large quantities of hay and storage for cattle.

At the height of the fire, which spread to both a barn and a domestic property, 34 firefighters from the five appliances and one aerial ladder were in attendance together with four police officers.

Park Road, running from the A590 roundabout to the Abbey Road roundabout, was closed to traffic to ensure public safety, while firefighters tackled the farm fire.

At approx 10.30am firefighters from Ulverston stood down as the fire was brought under control.

A fire investigation is underway and the fire service is being assisted with the safety of the property to allow the clean up operation to continue.

William Wylie, Group Manager for Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service, said: "This was an extremely challenging and potentially serious incident and it's a testimony to the hard work of all our firefighters that we contained the fire as quickly as we did. 

“Our swift action prevented the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings and allowed us to deal with the threat of a large quantity of diesel as well as the other potential hazards. The safety of the public was paramount throughout the whole operation and although the cause of the incident is not yet known we will be investigating the fire thoroughly in due course."

ENDS

Media enquiries to Media Officer Chris Little on 01228 226334.