VIDEO: 100 acres of crops destroyed in '˜apocalyptic' fire

A fire destroyed 100 acres of crops and could be seen from more than five miles away.
The fire in Havercroft on Sunday night. Picture by Mark Banks Photography.The fire in Havercroft on Sunday night. Picture by Mark Banks Photography.
The fire in Havercroft on Sunday night. Picture by Mark Banks Photography.

A spokesman for the fire service said: “It was like an apocalypse. We could see the fire from Wakefield.

“We were driving around the field trying to save the farm and the livestock.”

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Crews also attended the fire from Fitzwilliam after concerns were raised that the blaze may spread. A combine harvester was used to create a fire break.

The fire in Havercroft on Sunday night. Picture by Mark Banks Photography.The fire in Havercroft on Sunday night. Picture by Mark Banks Photography.
The fire in Havercroft on Sunday night. Picture by Mark Banks Photography.

The fire was extinguished by 2.45pm.

It is not yet known what caused the fire.

Weeks of hot weather have dried out crops, allowing fire to spread furiously.

This is the third corn field fire in the district in less than a week.

The blaze at Kingsley Green Farm. Photo by Sara Tonkinson.The blaze at Kingsley Green Farm. Photo by Sara Tonkinson.
The blaze at Kingsley Green Farm. Photo by Sara Tonkinson.

On Sunday night, fire crews attended a 300-metre patch of land that was on fire at East Street in Havercroft, near Wakefield.

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And last Wednesday, a crop fire near Sandal Castle destroyed £15,000 worth of crops in less than an hour. Homes were evacuated as flames grew high enough to melt the first floor guttering on homes on the Portobello Estate’s Duke of York Avenue.

It has been confirmed that Wednesday’s fire was started deliberately.