FIREFIGHTERS worked through thunderstorms and heavy rain to put out a fire in 400 tonnes of straw.

Crews from Halstead, Wethersfield and Thaxted were called to Braintree Road in Great Bardfield on Wednesday at 8.52pm.

Three hose reel jets were used to extinguish the fire by 4.27am this morning.

The crews from Wethersfield, Thaxted and Halstead have revisited the incident scene twice today and will carry out extra checks again tonight.

Braintree and Witham Times:

  • Picture: Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

Sub Officer Darren Hockley, from Wethersfield Fire Station, said: “Believe it or not, the heavy rain hampered our operations at this incident because it created a damp cap on the bales of hay, hindering the burning of the straw.

“With these kind of incidents, the best way to tackle a fire is to allow the straw to burn away.

“Firefighters worked extremely hard in very difficult conditions throughout the night and the early hours of the morning.”