Essex wildfire destroys 400 acres of fields near M11 motorway

Fire crews battled for hours to get control of a wildfire which raged over 400 acres of fields.

The blaze near the M11 in Essex also tore through a disused building and was tackled by 15 crews at its peak, along with specialist vehicles and an urban search and rescue team.

The fire at Littlebury, near Saffron Walden, broke out at about 4pm on Sunday and was eventually extinguished by 9.30pm, with crews remaining at the scene through the night to check for hot spots.

The fire - which was near a house, railway line and the busy M11 motorway running between Cambridge and London - was a particular challenge because of the changing wind directions, said Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

Station manager Dave Bond said: "It was a fast-moving fire due to the weather conditions and crews worked really hard to protect the M11 and nearby houses.

"Unfortunately, embers set fire to the roof space of an unused two-storey building at Great Chesterford train station. The roof sustained significant damage but crews prevented further damage to the building."

He praised control officers and crews on an "extraordinarily busy" day as they went "from one arduous incident to the next". 

Station manager Kevin Jenner said: "Crews worked exceptionally hard today in extreme conditions - I can't praise them enough for their efforts. I'd also like to thank members of the community for their support, including offering crews additional refreshments."