FIREFIGHTERS spent three hours tackling a blaze at a solar farm this week.

The fire service was alerted to the fire at the 80.5-hectare farm at Snarlton Lane, near Sandridge Hill, Melksham, by a member of the public at 11.45am on Tuesday after they saw smoke rising.

Two crews from Trowbridge and one each from Melksham, Calne and Bradford on Avon attended the fire, which was centred around the main combiner box, and used C02 extinguishers and a single hose reel to douse it, as well as a thermal camera to check for additional hotspots.

Firefighters started to leave the scene at 1.30pm with the last crew departing at 2.40pm, before a crew from Melksham returned at 10pm to re-inspect the scene and make sure it was safe.

The fire service does not know how the fire started or the extent of the damage.