Fire warning after blaze narrowly avoids farm

Police have issued a warning about dry weather after a fire the "size of a football pitch" narrowly avoided destroying a farmer's crops in South Yorkshire.

The fire in Barnsley on Thursday could have caused "tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage" had emergency services not seen it in time, South Yorkshire Police said.

The force said teenagers were seen running from the bottom of the field but officers were not able to reach them in time.

A spokesperson said: "What you may think is a joke or a prank affects people, their livelihoods, property and wildlife."

They added: "If we catch anyone causing this type of damage, we will prosecute with the full force of the law, young or not."

According to police, the fire on a patch of land above Grange Lane was being blown towards Quaker Lane when officers called South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service.

Emergency services put out the fire but warned that due to recent dry weather, fields could "go up like a tinder box".

A police spokesperson said: "Farmers work hard throughout the year to bring food to your table. Without them, we would be in trouble.

"The potential threat to life, wildlife and property should not be underestimated.

"We saw several birds and animals that, unfortunately, we couldn't help or save but had been affected by the fire."

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