Crews tackle barn fire involving 2,000 hay bales

DWFRS A barn containing hay bales on fireDWFRS
The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday

Firefighters are tackling a blaze involving a derelict building and a barn containing 2,000 bales of hay which is thought to have been started deliberately.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) said it was called to the barn in East Lulworth just after 03:00 BST on Saturday.

At the height of the incident, the fire service said there were about 60 firefighters from nearly a dozen fire stations tackling the blaze to prevent it from spreading to nearby trees, land and property.

A spokesperson for DWFRS said: "We are now scaling back but we expect to have an attendance for some hours yet. We currently believe the fire to have been started deliberately and investigations are ongoing."

DWFRS A barn containing hay bales on fireDWFRS
The fire service has scaled back its operation but expects to be at the scene for some time