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Red diesel
12 May 2006 12:44Last night someone tried to burn down the barn at the yard where we keep our horses. Not the barn with the horses in it, but the tractor barn just by it. They also, presumably with the intention of encouraging the flames, emptied the fuel tank- which had only just been filled a day or two back, releasing 3000 litres of diesel over the yard.
Fortunately, the fire didn't totally consume the barn, everyone has survived and diesel doesn't ignite very easily. The horses who live in the barn (Joe and Othello stay out in the field) were obviously distressed at the time but seemed quite happy when I cycled over this morning. Horses tend to be affected by shock quite slowly, though, so they will have to be closely watched for the next 24 hours. My heart goes out to the yard owners whose house is about 50 yards away. The groundworks are their main business and so having their tractor shed attacked is an absolute nightmare for them in every respect. They have also been working to sort things out since the early hours of the morning and they looked absolutely knackered.
The yard is at the end of the only road in a very tiny village, a couple of months ago the village cricket pavillion burned down and apparently there was another barn on the same road burnt a few weeks back so it sounds like one of the local children has developed a rather dangerous new hobby. Fortunately the police forensics team thought they might have found some useful evidence, so we can at least hope the arsonist is found before they attack someone else.
Update: Apparently the fire was hot enough for the diesel to catch and most of the machinery that survived was saved by the yard owner and his son driving various tractors and landrovers through sheets of flame- after they had rescued the oxygen tanks from the boats that were beside the wall where the fire was started.
Fortunately, the fire didn't totally consume the barn, everyone has survived and diesel doesn't ignite very easily. The horses who live in the barn (Joe and Othello stay out in the field) were obviously distressed at the time but seemed quite happy when I cycled over this morning. Horses tend to be affected by shock quite slowly, though, so they will have to be closely watched for the next 24 hours. My heart goes out to the yard owners whose house is about 50 yards away. The groundworks are their main business and so having their tractor shed attacked is an absolute nightmare for them in every respect. They have also been working to sort things out since the early hours of the morning and they looked absolutely knackered.
The yard is at the end of the only road in a very tiny village, a couple of months ago the village cricket pavillion burned down and apparently there was another barn on the same road burnt a few weeks back so it sounds like one of the local children has developed a rather dangerous new hobby. Fortunately the police forensics team thought they might have found some useful evidence, so we can at least hope the arsonist is found before they attack someone else.
Update: Apparently the fire was hot enough for the diesel to catch and most of the machinery that survived was saved by the yard owner and his son driving various tractors and landrovers through sheets of flame- after they had rescued the oxygen tanks from the boats that were beside the wall where the fire was started.
