BALLYBOGEY BLAZE

Excess of 50 cows have been rescued from a fire at a two haysheds at Ballybobey in Co Antrim.The blaze broke out around midday at a farm on the main road from Ballymoney to Portrush a mile outside the village of Ballybogey.Fire Crews from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service tackled the blaze with seven pumps and a fire and rescue command unit in attendance.Appliances needed to continually return to Ballybogey village to refill with water .A spokesperson from the NIFRS said there were about 1,000 bales of hay in the barn.The fire was a complex operation, in that there were chemicals in an outlying shed.PICTURE STEVEN MCAULEY/MCAULEY MULTIMEDIA

The fire broke out just before midday and firefighters from around north Antrim and County Londonderry were sent to the farm.

A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said that the hay shed fire presented a number of risks including the presence of livestock, 1,000 bales of hay, fertiliser and 600 gallons of tractor diesel.

During the operation, the Ballybogey Road was closed to traffic and diversions put in place.

Mechanical equipment was required to separate the huge mounds of burning hay from unburnt hay and then lift the tonnes of material away from the source of the fire.

The NIFRS spokesman said that the fire was brought under control at around 2.30pm but the entire operation continued into the evening until around 8pm.

The cause of the fire was accidental, said the spokesman. It is believed that it started as a result of work being carried out using an angle grinder in the shed.

NIFRS added: “Our advice is to be careful when using machinery or tools in sheds and make sure you are working in a safe, non-flammable area. Be ready with firefighting media in the area but don’t put yourself in danger. Call the Fire Service and we will deal with it.”