Farmer warns of wildfire danger after crops destroyed

A farmer from Fetcham has warned of the dangers of cigarettes, disposable barbeques and fireworks during the hot weather, after more than 10 acres of wheat were destroyed in a wildfire.

The blaze, thought to have been started by a firework, happened on Slyfield Farm on 10 July, and Steve Conisbee says it caused about £8,000 worth of damage.

Conisbee told Radio Surrey: "I just stood there afterwards, absolutely gutted."

Area Commander David Nolan, prevention lead for Surrey Fire and Rescue, said the service has been dealing with about two wildfires a day, and urged the public to be safe and vigilant.

Conisbee said he "heard some bangs" at about 10pm.

"Then my phone went to somebody saying they think I had a fire," he added.

"I looked out the window and could see the sky glowing.

"I shot off down towards the barn I thought was on fire, but to my amazement it wasn't coming from the barn, it was coming from the fields.

"It was quite a shock."

The fire brigade turned up immediately, he said, but extensive damage had already been done.

"It set fire to half of our wheat field, so I expect there's about £8,000 worth of grain lying on the floor now," he said.

He also said the fire left "a lovely old oak" in the middle of the field "very scorched", adding: "There's a few dead birds lying underneath it, which were obviously roosting that night."

The quick actions of his farm workers, who used water from the nearby River Mole, helped to contain the flames, creating a firebreak.

"We're just lucky enough that the wind just dropped and it gave them a chance to get on top of it," said the farmer.

"I can understand how a wildfire can get totally out of hand so fast.

"We've all got to be so careful at the moment. It's not my first fire unfortunately.

"Generally it's people [that] cause them - a barbecue, discarded cigarette, in this case a firework."

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