Ladbergen (dpa / lnw) - A grain field the size of a soccer field caught fire on Sunday afternoon in Ladbergen in the Münsterland region. When the fire brigade arrived at the site in the Steinfurt district, an area of around 100 by 60 meters was already on fire, said fire brigade operations manager Andreas Keuer. Other tank fire engines from the area were immediately requested to provide support. "We were met with a veritable wall of fire." The fire was quickly brought under control and has since been extinguished. No one was injured, Keuer said.
While the fire brigade fought the flames, local farmers dug firebreaks with their equipment, so-called cultivators for soil cultivation, and extinguished embers with water from attached liquid manure barrels. Keuer suspects that the farmer who was working in the field with his combine harvester started the fire. "Possibly something overheated and then caught fire."
Because of the drought, summer heat and wind, the flames were able to spread quickly. Keuer continued: "We have to protect our comrades in such weather. That's why I gave the order that jackets and helmets may be taken off." Several crates of water were also available for the volunteers during the operation.
