Firefighters from across Devon, including crews from Modbury and Totnes, spent nearly 19 hours battling a significant outdoor fire at South West Compost.

The alarm was first raised at 8:51 PM on Monday, 5 January, after reports of a large fire involving organic waste and machinery.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service quickly escalated the response, eventually committing 13 crews to the scene.

Among those mobilised were teams from Totnes and Modbury, who played a vital role in containing the blaze as it threatened to spread.

The operation was hampered by severe logistical challenges. With no water hydrants in the immediate vicinity of the compost site, crews were forced to rely on a water bowser. This required a constant relay of vehicles travelling to and from the site to maintain a steady supply of water for the hoses.

At approximately 1:30 AM, relief crews from Modbury arrived to take over from colleagues who had been fighting the fire since the previous evening. However, the biting cold meant that the vast amounts of water being used to douse the flames began to freeze instantly.

“Conditions were made more complicated as any water on the ground was turning to ice,” a spokesperson for Modbury Fire Station confirmed in an online post. The freezing runoff created a skating rink around the machinery and compost piles, making movement difficult for firefighters in the dark.

Despite the sub-zero temperatures and the lack of local water infrastructure, the combined efforts of the 13 crews ensured the fire was brought under control by Tuesday morning.

No injuries were reported, and crews remained on-site until 4:45 PM on Tuesday to dampen down hotspots and monitor for reignition.