Crews tackle barn fire involving 2,000 hay bales

News imageDWFRS 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."

News imageDWFRS 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