East Devon farmer raises awareness of farm fire safety

Henry Gent, former chairman of the National Farmers Union’s Exeter branch, warns farmers to consistently check their electrics after suffering a devastating fire.

Last April, Henry Gent's farm suffered an electrical fault causing a large blaze. Mr Gent said his electrics were around 20 years old, and is therefore urging people to check their electrics on a regular basis. Three fire engines and six fire fighters attended the farm to deal with the fire’s aftermath. 

Following the fire, the electrics leading into the milking parlour at Mosshayne Farm, West Clyst, meant Mr Gent was faced with 300 cows which needed milking, with no means of milking them. 

“It was a shock but it could have been far worse,” said Mr Gent. “I remember feeling terrified when an electrician said that we would not be able to milk at the farm that day and probably not for week, because the mains electric supply would not be restored quickly, and all cables leading to the motors were destroyed.

“It would have been a disaster to leave the cows unmilked because the freshly calved cows would have been in pain and leaking milk, leading to the risk of infection from open teat ducts."

In 2016, the most common cause of farm fires was electrical faults, which were responsible for almost half of fire claims. Arson was the next most common cause.