A SECOND field fire within 24 hours near an east Dorset village has seen around 44 acres of standing crops destroyed.

More than 15 fire crews descended on a field in Edmondsham, a village near Verwood, this afternoon after a large fire broke out in a corn crop field – the second incident to hit the area in as many days.

Water supply to the scene proved to be problematic for crews, resulting in the large number of stations attending the incident.

According to Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, crews were called from: Poole, Christchurch, Blandford, Hamworthy, Wimborne, Springborne, Westbourne, Ferndown, Redhill Park, Fordingbridge, Sturminster Newton, Salisbury, as well as a water carrier from Ringwood, the Unimog from Wareham and a small 4x4 appliance from Verwood.

However, it is understood some stations were stood down en route.

The incident came through at 3.40pm, with crews tackling the flames and remaining hotspots until around 6pm before leaving.

A fire spokesperson said the cause of the blaze is currently not known, however it is believed to have been accidental. They added that crews would return at 9pm for reinspection to further ensure the safety of the site. No injuries were reported.

Another separate fire nearby was reported on Thursday, July 14, and involved an area of 100m x 100m of forestry land. It is understood a small part of this fire restarted on Friday before being quickly dealt with.