Isle of Man agricultural fire 'gets out of hand'

The fire spread across five acres

Firefighters tackled an agricultural fire which had "got out of hand" and spread to a high voltage electricity pylon.

Six crews spent three-and-a-half hours fighting the blaze, which they said had been lit as a "controlled burn" by a landowner on Wednesday.

The fire spread across five acres (4,000 sq m) between Patrick Road and the old railway line in St Johns.

Crews from Peel, Douglas, Kirk Michael, Ramsey, Laxey and Port Erin attended.

Station officer Roger Brown said off-road vehicles had to be brought in to help reach the area.

Manx Utilities were also called to isolate power lines as a precaution after the flames scorched an electricity pylon.

High voltage power lines had to be isolated while crews tackled the blaze

Controlled burns are carried out to clear plant growth to make it easier for new crops to grow.

Mr Brown said a dry spring meant recent rainfall had soaked into the soil quickly, leaving the ground "very dry", which could "catch people out".

He said the fire spread across hedgerows and into adjoining scrubland and warning that fires in undergrowth can go unnoticed initially.

Mr Brown described the incident as "unfortunate" and "unexpected".

"Nobody goes out with the intent of setting a fire and ending up with a large fire like this," he added.

He urged anyone planning an agricultural fire to inform the fire service so that the appropriate advice could be given.