West Midland farmers prevented the spread of a major fire

Last Thursday, August 13, during an anomalously hot weather spell in the county of West Midlands, a dry grass fire broke out, covering an area of over 500 acres. The fire, which became one of the most significant incidents in the local fire service's history, led to the destruction of 19 homes and damage to more than a dozen other structures.

To prevent the spread of the fire to the settlements of Hagley and Iverley, more than ten farmers voluntarily arrived at the scene. Using tractors, cultivators, and self-propelled sprayers, the farmers carried out ploughing, creating protective firebreaks. As noted by one of the participants, Daniel Pardo, these actions helped reduce the burden on fire crews, who were focusing their main efforts on protecting residential areas on the north side at that time.

According to eyewitnesses and local residents, the timely intervention of the farmers helped save many homes from the fire. The farmers' actions were praised by the Bishop of Dudley and evacuated residents, who confirmed that the ploughing of the land along Worcester Lane was a decisive factor in containing the disaster.

Currently, a fundraiser has been organized in the region to support the farmers who participated in fighting the fire. The collected money (over £4000) is planned to be directed towards restoring fences destroyed by the fire, as well as providing livestock animals with feed and water. The damage to agriculture is compounded by the effects of a dry summer, which had already led to a decrease in yield. Now, the farmers face the task of restoring fences, re-conducting sowing, and reclaiming the land amidst an ongoing investigation into the causes of the fire.