30/05/2026
MAJOR INCIDENT
At 07:03 hours on Friday 29th May, the rescue pumps from Market Drayton and Whitchurch, along with a Welfare Officer from Headquarters, were mobilised by Shropshire Fire Control to support our colleagues from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service at a significant fire involving a large agricultural property at Wrinehill, near Bridgmere, Cheshire.
As the crew from Market Drayton left the station, a large column of black smoke could already be seen rising from the incident, more than 11 miles away.
While en route, crews were informed that the incident had been escalated to a "Make Pumps 10", meaning that ten fire appliances were required to attend.
Upon arrival, firefighters were confronted with a severe and rapidly developing fire involving an empty poultry shed measuring approximately 100 metres by 100 metres and covering around four acres – roughly the size of two football pitches.
Crews from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service were already working hard to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings using main jets.
Firefighters from Market Drayton and Whitchurch, together with crews from Malpas and Middlewich, were tasked with establishing a water relay to provide an additional water supply to the fireground.
This involved utilising a fire hydrant and a brook located more than half a mile from the scene. Crews laid 28 lengths of 70mm hose between the water source and the base pump to maintain a continuous supply of water.
Due to the scale of the incident, the large number of resources required, and the significant smoke plume being produced, a major incident was declared.
Two High Volume Pumping Units from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service were mobilised. However, due to limited water availability in the area, they were ultimately unable to be deployed effectively.
The Scorpion High Reach Extending Turret from Macclesfield was also brought into operation to assist with firefighting efforts.
As part of the major incident response, support was provided by Cheshire Police, and the North West Ambulance Service, including members of the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART).
The large smoke plume, visible for many miles, resulted in North West Fire Control receiving numerous emergency calls from concerned members of the public.
Firefighters worked tirelessly throughout the incident, using main jets, ground monitors, and the Scorpion to bring the fire under control and prevent further fire spread.
Despite the best efforts of all crews in attendance, the building was unfortunately destroyed by fire.
Due to the substantial volumes of water required, United Utilities supplied a 33,000-litre tanker and an 18,000-litre tanker to provide additional water supplies to the incident ground.
We are pleased to report that there were no casualties.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
We would like to thank the volunteers from the Rapid Relief Team, who attended the incident and provided crews with much-needed refreshments throughout the day.
At the height of the incident, fire appliances, specialist vehicles, crews, and senior officers were in attendance from Audlem, Crewe, Nantwich, Middlewich, Congleton, Winsford, Malpas, Cheadle (Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service), Market Drayton and Whitchurch (Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service), together with the High Reach Extending Turret from Macclesfield, an Aerial Ladder Platform from Chester, a Water Bowser, Welfare Unit, High Volume Pumps from Cheshire and Greater Manchester, and a Command Unit from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The Market Drayton and Whitchurch crews were released form the incident and returned to home stations at approximately 13:00 hours.
Relief crews remained at the incident through out the day continuing to damp down and check for hotspots.
