Video: Six fire crews control field fire

The blaze on the corn fields, behind the new houses, took Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) firefighters over an hour to control.

The fire could be seen from the M1 and spread quickly in the wind, it soon covered 10 hectares of land, the cause is unknown.

There were no injuries and no damage to the houses, a large area of crops was affected by the fire, off Kestral Way.

BFRS Group Commander Ade Yule, who was in charge of the operation to tackle the fire, said: “Local residents were understandably extremely concerned about the fire, which was very close to their homes, and our Fire Control operators handled over 70 separate 999 calls to this incident. We sent 6 fire appliances and 3 other emergency vehicles, including a water carrier, to the scene.“

“Our firefighters worked hard in arduous conditions to contain the fire. The firefighters did an excellent job to prevent the fire from causing damage to any of the properties, bringing the fire under control by 10.30 pm.”

Kay, who lives with her son in one of the nearby houses, said: “I was at my mums, which is down the road, when I saw it, I could hear crackling noises but could not see or smell any smoke. It was ten minutes later when I looked out in the garden and saw it, it looked closer then the cornfields, I actually thought one of the houses out the back was on fire.

“I went to have a look and saw how bad it was and how close it was to the back of my house, as my garden backs onto the field. Luckily it was all put out by the houses quickly before it spread even closer. My son saw it, he thought it was going to burn him and our house down.

“There always used to be fires being set on the fields when I was growing up but it has been years since we had a big one like that.

“It is just a shame who ever done it, does not think about the families that live nearby.”

The fire fighters were praised for their efforts to control the large fire.

Dawn Leete, 39, of Lillyfield Close, added: “A huge well done to the firemen, they worked hard, it was pitch black and it took a while but they finally got the fire out, they looked knackered.”

Group Commander Ade Yule voiced concerns about members of the public getting too close to the fire to try and capture the scene on their phones.

He said: “Straying into a field which is well alight is very dangerous. People do not appreciate how quickly the flames can change direction and travel due to a change in wind direction. This can also hamper crews during their firefighting operations, and put people’s own safety at risk.”