Faringdon fire that took two days to burn out costs farmers £10,000 worth of straw

  • Watch: ITV Meridian's Natalie Verney is told by farmers it will cost thousands to replace what was lost in the fire

A farmer from Faringdon suspects a large fire in one of his barns on Sunday (4 August) night was started deliberately.

It took four fire crews to contain the fire at Gorse Farm, and two days for it to burn out.

Ten thousand pounds worth of straw was destroyed and it is likely the barn itself will need replacing.

Matt Eyre-Brook, co-owner of Gorse Farm, wants people to know the impact starting fires like this can have.

The farm has lost £10,000 worth of straw Credit: ITV News Meridian

Martina Eyre-Brook, Co-owner of Gorse Farm said: "You could feel the heat and you could even hear the crackling of the straw.

"There is suddenly like a fear rolling up in you that I’ve never experienced before, because you just don't know what the whole extent of it is going to be."

Martina and her family were in bed when they were told their barn was on fire - someone from the village had spotted the flames as they drove past.

Matt Eyre-Brook said: "It went up so quickly that the whole barn was ablaze.

"All the straw was alight and you could see it for miles around all the fields, it was like daylight."

Fire fighters were able to contain the fire and stop it from spreading to nearby fields where their cattle were grazing.

The fire has destroyed £10,000 worth of straw, which the family needed to bed their cows this winter.

A barn replacement could cost approximately £100,000 Credit: ITV News Meridian

Matt continues: "The problem is when you lose all your straw you can’t just pop off down to the straw shop and buy some more, you’ve got to source it, we’ve got to bail it, we’ve got to transport it.

"And now because the barn is potentially damaged or structurally compromised, we’ve got to find somewhere to put that straw to keep it dry."

Replacing the barn could cost around £100,000.Thames Valley Police are investigating the fire to find out what caused it, but Matt believes it was started by a third party.

Matt said: "The main message with this is that it’s not just a simple thing where you’re watching something burn and you think it’s funny.

"It’s the stress and the massive impact on the local community and it’s a really serious thing."

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