'Horrific' barn fire breaks out near care home

A care home manager was "on alert all evening" on Monday after a fire broke out on a nearby farm, in Warwickshire.

The blaze, in Lawford Heath, erupted at about 16.45 BST and involved a barn containing straw that was alight and was beginning to spread to a nearby field, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

Jenny Banaszek, from Wolston Grange care home, said a member of staff alerted emergency services to the fire, in Coalpit Lane, that looked "quite horrific", with a large plume of smoke visible in Coventry, Rugby and Leamington Spa.

Multiple crews worked through the night and the blaze was now "largely under control", the fire service said.

The service added that a number of firefighters remained at the scene damping down.

Banaszek said she was on high alert in case the home needed to be evacuated.

However, this was later not necessary and all residents are safe and well.

The care home manager also praised the fire service, whose crews reached the scene within several minutes of being called.

She told BBC CWR: "I could see the flames and the barn was on fire. The animals were fine – we watched them come across into a different field."

In a social media post on Monday evening the fire service asked people living nearby to keep doors and windows closed.

The cause of the fire remains unclear.

Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.