Residents allowed home following farm fire

Residents have returned home with the lifting of an 800m (2,624 feet) cordon after being evacuated from properties in the early hours of Sunday after a large barn fire broke out in Somerset.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service was called to Chestnut Farm in Streamcross, on the outskirts of Claverham, just before 21:20 BST on Saturday.

About 12 fire appliances and 50 firefighters attended, alongside a police helicopter and other agencies, with more teams collaborating off site.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service area manager Vaughan Jenkins said three fire crews remained at the site and the controlled fire was "still burning" but "we're in a much stronger place than we have been through the night".

Residents are advised to remain indoors as a precaution against smoke which "may contain hazardous chemicals"

Mr Jenkins said a decision to put in the exclusion zone was "unfortunate but necessary", and made with advice from a scientific expert due to fertiliser being stored on the site.

He said: "We have a duty of care to our staff. There wasn't any life risk and we set up relevant water towers and used our equipment while working remotely and made sure members of the public and local residents were in that place of safety."

He also said it had been very emotive for people being knocked awake by a fire or police officer in the middle of the night and being asked to move, and "we wouldn't have taken that decision if it wasn't absolutely necessary to keep people safe".

Roads have reopened and the cordon lifted in the Somerset village

Any explosion risk had been dealt with after cooling the chemicals and "we're currently allowing the hay bales to burn out while protecting the ammonium nitrate and ensuring it doesn't spread to any other building in the farm complex," Mr Jenkins said.

Nearby resident Judith said she heard the police helicopter on Saturday evening before she looked to see "clouds of black smoke and then flames, which were horrific".

She said: "Everyone knows each other around here, so we feel really sad for the farmer and their family, because there's a livelihood that could be going up in smoke here.

"And it brings home how vulnerable we are... but, as a close community, other farmers and local residents will rally around to help the farmers affected."

Three fire vehicles remain on site as the controlled fire burns

People within the original cordon zone have still been advised to stay indoors doors and keep their windows shut. But, as things continued, the fire service should be in a position to lift those restrictions through the day, he added.

The fire service said anyone within the cordon or living nearby who experienced a change in their health or any existing conditions should seek medical assistance.

An investigation into the cause is ongoing.