| A serious rick fire occurred at Rushden on Saturday morning in Mr John Clark’s fields adjoining the Rushden Urban Council’s sewage works. The hay and straw ricks destroyed, five in number, belonged to Mr John Clark. The ricks were situated on the right bank of the Midland railway’s Rushden and Higham Ferrers branch, and it is thought that a spark from the engine of a passing train may have caused the outbreak.
The call was received by the Rushden fire brigade, by telephone and by a stranger at 8.30a.m., and was smartly answered. The Brigade, with no. 1 steamer, under the command of Capt. F Knight and Second Officer G R Turner, were quickly on the scene of the fire. They found three or four ricks well alight but after consultation with the owner it was decided that owing to the situation of the stacks and the direction of the wind there was no danger to adjoining property, and the fire was therefore allowed to burn itself out, although the brigade had fourteen 75-feet lengths of hose in readiness to play on the stacks if required. As nothing could be done to save the stacks, the brigade, after standing by for some time, returned to headquarters.
The damage, estimated at £280, is, we understand, fully covered by insurance.
The firemen present were Capt F Knight, J.P., Second Officer G R Turner, Messrs R F Knight, J Sparrow, Claude Green (engineer), J Whitehead, L Britchford, A Jacques, J Wooding, Whiting and C Timson.
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