DRY conditions caused by the recent hot weather are being blamed for a spate of agricultural fires.

Fire crews from North Yorkshire have attended three field fires in recent days.

On Saturday, July 26, crews were called out to Burnt House Plantation, near Eppleby, Richmond, where a 200m by 300m field had caught fire. The crop stubble was ablaze, along with a number of round bales of straw and a baling machine.

Three fire engines from Darlington, Richmond and Eppleby were needed to tackle the blaze. Beaters and hose reels were used to extinguish it.

On Friday evening, July 25, two fire engines from Northallerton were called to a combine harvester on fire in a field between Danby Wiske and Streetlam. It was thought to have started in machinery.

The previous day (Thursday, July 24) a combine harvester caught fire at Normanby Farm at Kirkbymoorside at about 3.30pm.

When fire crews from Kirkbymoorside arrived, the fire had spread to the surrounding field and two more engines were needed from Pickering and Malton.