THESE pictures and drone footage show the extent of the damage caused by the wild fire which engulfed land in Marlbrook, Bromsgrove, on Saturday.
The blaze started around 5.40pm and tore across land off Staple Flat and Linehouse Lane, Marlbrook.
The flames destroyed 100hectares of standing crop, a tractor and a stable block, along with a container used to store 30 tonnes of hay bales.
‘Major incident’
A major incident was declared as 12 crews and engines were deployed by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service from across the two counties. These were also supported by West Midlands Fire Service crews and West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Five tractors with ploughs were used to create fire breaks.
Due to the number of calls associated with this incident, Operation Willowbeck was initiated by HWFRS Fire Control, to enable other fire services to assist with taking 999 calls not relating to this incident.
Firefighters and HWFRS Fire Control worked tirelessly to deal with this incident, with crews working to tackle the blaze and bring it under control, with the support of local farmers who helped create the fire break.
50 households evacuated
As the blaze was being tackled, residents living in 50 nearby properties were evacuated and were moved to a rest centre.
People in the surrounding areas, including Marlbrook and Catshill, who were not evacuated were told to keep their doors and windows shut to prevent the smoke from entering their homes.
Staple Flat was also closed between Old Birmingham Road and Linehouse Lane.
After raging for several hours, the flames were brought under control.
There were no casualties and all the residents who had to be evacuated returned to their properties later that evening.
Firefighters remained at the scene on Saturday night and into Sunday morning to make sure the area is safe and check for hotspots to ensure the blaze does not reignite.
The fire service does not believe the blaze had been started deliberately.
Bromsgrove Police thanked everyone in the area for their patience while the incident was being dealt with.
