FIREFIGHTERS were called to tackle a field on fire on Saturday.
Birchwood's blue watch were called to the incident in Risley just before 10.30am and when they arrived, they found 100m by 20m of barley was well alight.
A spokesman for the station said that access to the blaze was difficult and the fire engine had to be placed in a field next to the fire and a short extension ladder used to cross a ditch to transfer the equipment into the burning field.
Once the tank of water had been exhausted, a mini-pump was used to draw water from a lake to avoid moving the main pump, at the risk of getting bogged down in the field.
The spokesman added: "Much of the Risley and Rixton area is peat-based soil which, in long dry spells, can catch fire on top and continue to burn indefinitely. It can take copious amounts of water to extinguish and needs to be tackled by experienced firefighters to limit the risk of injuries."
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