FIREFIGHTERS from Newton Abbot responded to reports of a fire near Stover school.
The call came in on Sunday morning (March 24), detailing a fire in the open opposite the independent school.
Upon our arrival, the crew discovered a large pile of wood chips, approximately 20 tonnes, smoking and producing large amounts of heat.
![Pile of smoking wood chips sees Sunday action for Newton's firefighters](https://www.teignmouth-today.co.uk/tindle-static/image/2024/03/25/10/44/Pile%20of%20smoking%20wood%20chips%20sees%20Sunday%20action%20for%20Newton%27s%20firefighters%20.jpg?trim=0,122,0,121&width=669&height=445&crop=669:445)
‘When damp, condensed materials like wood chip and hay are packed in, and can produce heat due to micro-organisms' within, self generating temperature’ a spokesperson for Newton Abbot Fire Station said.
Crews used drag forks to pull apart the wood chip pile, and a 45mm attack jet to cool down the wood chip.
A nearby hydrant was then used, for the purpose of a water shuttle, and after three tanks of water, the Incident Commander was content that the temperature had reduced enough for the crew to safely leave the scene.