DOZENS of villagers rushed to a farm when a blaze ripped through a barn and surrounding buildings.
Eight fire tenders attended the fire at Grange Farm, Spaunton, near Kirkbymoorside, where firefighters struggled to control it because of difficulties getting water to the scene.
Philip Trevelyan, who owns neighbouring Hill Top Farm, said his Lazy Dog Tool company almost went up in smoke.
Almost 100 bales of silage wrap, eight bales of straw and a number of tyres were destroyed as the blaze spread to his property.
He said "every single able-bodied villager" came out to help tackle the blaze, and it was thanks to their efforts that a disaster was avoided.
He paid tribute to the quick-thinking of a local farmer who used a muck spreader to fight the fire, using water from a nearby pond.
"It's a terrifying story," he said. "We've been saved by the skin of our teeth."
The blaze, which began at about 5.15pm, started in the barn. The buildings were said to be "well alight".
Three hose reels were also at the farm tackling the fire, which was still burning more than three hours later.
It was not known what was in the barn.
The spokesman said it was too early to speculate on what caused the fire.
Updated: 11:19 Monday, September 02, 2002
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