Pub night turned into farm fire-fight

11:23am Sunday 7th September 2008

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A QUIET night out at a local pub ended in a nightmare for farmer Geoff Wiltshire who saw flames engulfing his barn as he left for home.

The blaze started in an outbuilding on Egypt Farm in Spout Lane, Seend, just after midnight on Sunday and firefighters were still working on making the barn safe 14 hours later.

Mr Wiltshire, from Sells Green, left the cattle farm, which he runs with his 33-year-old son Martin, at 10pm and went home to pick up his wife Valerie to go to the Three Magpies pub, nearby.

He said: "When we came out we saw the flames and smoke in the sky.

"We couldn't believe it, we were in shock. We rushed up to the farm to see what was happening."

Mr Wiltshire, 60, and his wife called 999 when they reached their farm and saw the barn, containing about 300 tonnes of hay, well alight.

He said the hay, which he was going to sell for £3 a bale, was all destroyed, which would reduce his income by a quarter, while the 75ft long barn would have to be rebuilt.

He said: "There was other hay across from the barn too and we won't be able to sell some of that either as the firefighters had to use foam and water on the front bales to protect them.

"I had 42 cows in a barn nearby, and they were very scared when we got to them, they were all huddled in a corner, but none of them were hurt."

A piece of farm machinery, which Mr Wiltshire used as a loader, was also destroyed.

He said: "A new one would cost £40,000 so we will have to get another second hand one. It is an essential piece of farming equipment.

"I don't know what happened and I am not going to speculate. If it were done on purpose then it would have to have been a very sick person."

Thirty firefighters spent 14 hours bringing the blaze under control. Crews from Devizes, Trowbridge, Melksham and Pewsey were involved in the operation.