FIREFIGHTERS from closure-threatened Manea Fire Station tackled a blaze at a Fenland farm on Sunday.

One crew from Chatteris and one crew from Manea were called to the fire at Boots Bridge Farm on Wimblington Road at 5.15pm. Firefighters used two hose reels to extinguish the shed fire and returned to their station by 6.50pm.

The blaze comes just days after fire chief Graham Stagg visited the Cambs Times/Wisbech Standard office and admitted that public and political pressure could still keep the station open.

One eyewitness said a firefighter at the scene told him: “It’s just as well that Manea Fire Station is still open because if not the nearby bungalow or the other barn would have gone up with it.”

A spokesman for the fire service said the blaze hadn’t “particularly” threatened any other buildings. However, it was confirmed that a passer-by suffered a minor burn to his hand after attempting to move a gas cylinder close to burning shed before crews arrived.

He was given a gel pack at the scene by firefighters and is believed to have attended hospital. Crews deemed the cause of the fire to be accidental. The blaze is thought to have started in the shed’s electric.

Mark Archer, Fenland District Councillor for Manea, said: “It would be a disaster for Manea if our fire station closed.

“The fact that a crew from Manea helped tackle this blaze is just another reason why it shouldn’t close. We live in a vulnerable little village which is isolated and despite what we hear it’s impossible for response times to incidents to not increase if it closes.

“The closure would add 10 or 15 minutes to response times in my eyes and that could prove to be a fatal delay.”

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE MANEA FIRE STATION.

Go to the Cambs Times website for full details or through Twitter and follow @CambsCampaign where we feature the Go To Blazes campaign to save the station