Farmers praised as heroes for work to stop Stourbridge fire
Farmers in Stourbridge are being hailed as heroes for using their tractors to create firebreaks that contained a massive wildfire. The blaze destroyed 19 homes and affected over 500 acres during a record-breaking heatwave.
Why it matters
Highlights the critical role of local community intervention in mitigating climate-related disasters and the economic strain on the agricultural sector.
Image source, Peter Medlicott Photography Image caption, Farmers used their tractors to create firebreaks to stop the blaze in Stourbridge from causing further destruction
Farmers have been called heroes for creating firebreaks to save more houses from destruction as flames swept across the West Midlands last week.
A group of more than a dozen farmers and residents used tractors to dig furrows in Stourbridge, helping to contain the huge fire there on Thursday.
"The size of it and the speed it accelerated was just incredible," one farmer, Daniel Pardoe, said. "But [I was] pleased that we could manage to get it under control and nobody was hurt."
An online fundraising campaign set up to support nine local farmers who worked to slow the fire's path has so far raised more than £4,000.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in