Fire crews battled Biggleswade barn blaze for more than two hours

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service received more than 20 calls from concerned members of the public about the fire on Baden Powell Way - with the first coming in at around 3.30pm on Tuesday (April 5).

Fire crews from Biggleswade, Stopsley and Shefford battled the fire for two and a half hours, before the blaze was finally extinguished at around 6pm.

The firefighters used breathing apparatus, two hose reels and a thermal imaging camera.

The Hazardous Material unit and two water carriers also attended the fire, after it was discovered that there was metal and asbestos in the roofing of the barn, as well as 50 tonnes of fertilizer being stored inside it that caused an explosion.

And residents were urged to avoid the area and keep their doors and windows shut due to the amount of smoke billowing from the fire.

The barn was completely destroyed in the fire and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue has confirmed that it will now start an investigation into the cause.

And it was the second barn fire the service had attended the same day - with an earlier fire at a disused horse barn near Furzenhall Road.

However, a spokesman for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue said that it was unable to confirm whether the two fires were related.

Bedfordshire Police were also in attendance at the scene.

A statement from the Biggleswade Community Policing team said: “Today found us assisting our colleagues over at Beds Fire with a fire in Biggleswade. We had to clear the area due to concerns around hazardous materials and thank the public for bearing with us whilst fire dealt with this incident.

“We were made aware by members of the public of youth ASB [antisocial behaviour] in the area, if you have any concerns then please do contact us via 101 or use the online reporting tool. Always dial 999 in an emergency.”