MULTIPLE fire crews rushed to a fire involving crops in north Dorset on Monday afternoon, August 8.

The fire in Winterbourne Stickland affected 300m x 100m of hard cut corn.

Farm machinery was used to create a fire break during the incident which was reported to the fire service at 1.19pm.

Fire crews form Blandford, Sturminster Newton, Wimborne, Poole and Bridport attended along with three 4x4 appliances and a water carrier from Poole.

Charlotte Armitage was visiting her sister when she saw a huge cloud of smoke rising from nearby fields at around 1.40pm.

She said firefighters and farmers were trying to stop the spread of the flames with heavy vehicles.

Bournemouth Echo: Picture: Charlotte ArmitagePicture: Charlotte Armitage

She told the Echo: “It’s pretty bad, there’s at least seven or eight fire engines at the scene who are trying to stop it but the flames had reached the side of the road when we went past.

“We couldn’t get too close because there was just black everywhere. It was quite scary and a lot of farmers looked very worried.”

A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "The stop was at 3.33pm, and advises an area of 300m x 100m of hard cut corn had been affected.

"Farm machinery was used to create a fire break."