Barn 'well alight' as firefighters battle blaze

Firefighters say a Cornish barn has been badly damaged after more than 100 tonnes of hay caught alight.

Crews were called to Launceston at about 04:45 BST after receiving reports of an agricultural fire, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said.

A Facebook post from Launceston Fire Station said a barn full of bales was "well alight" and crews from Callington, Liskeard, Torpoint, Bodmin, St Austell and Tavistock had been called out to the incident.

The incident is ongoing and likely to continue into the evening, fire crews said.

A separate Facebook post from Tavistock Fire Station said more than 100 tonnes of hay was inside the barn.

The crew said the farmer had "lost a considerable amount of hay, hard work and the barn" as a result of the blaze.

It added the likely cause of the fire was spontaneous combustion, which it said happened sometimes with wet hay.

The post said: "When the internal temperature of hay rises above 130°F (55°C) it provokes a chemical reaction producing flammable gases that can ignite."

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