The farm fire in Launceston was brought under control after a mammoth 31-hour battle

Fire crews have handed a destroyed barn back to its owner after ensuring the blaze did not spread further during a mammoth 31-hour battle. Launceston firefighters were first called to the large barn full of hay bales after it caught fire at 5am on Saturday 13 July.

Reinforcement crews were requested from other fire stations as the fire was too intense and threatened to spread. The fire was so intense that a hot air balloon was also deployed to help monitor the situation from above.

A spokesman for Callington Community Fire Station said its crew were called to the incident for a second time just after 2.30am this morning (Sunday July 14) to assist colleagues in Launceston who were monitoring the ongoing fire.

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He added: “We continued to monitor until suitable daylight and then worked alongside the farmer who removed the contents whilst ensuring there were preventative measures in place for the fire to spread.”

Four pumps from Callington Community Fire Station, Tavistock Fire Station, Launceston Community Fire Station and a water carrier from Liskeard Community Fire Station were mobilized along with the welfare wagon from Torpoint Community Fire Station.

A spokesman for Callington Community Fire Station added: “Excellent work by all fire crews involved over a very long period. We thank the farmer for his support in making the place safe for the crews to return home.”

On their Facebook page, their colleagues in Launceston confirmed that the fire had been extinguished. They said: “The recent barn fire is now fully extinguished and returned to the farmer. We were able to contain the fire in one barn and prevent it from spreading further to the adjacent barns. 31 hours…… Well done to all involved”.