A family are calling for answers after an out-of-control field fire destroyed parts of their property and forced them to flee their home.

Sean Farley along with his son William, partner Wendy and their friend Christie had to run for their lives when the fire swept into their propertyin Ham Lane, Gillingham, from a neighbouring field of cut corn.

KMTV spoke to Mr Farley

Having just finished decorating their Airbnb bungalow which is in the garden of their home at Gibraltar Cottages, they were later left picking up the pieces after the fire destroyed it along with a caravan, shed and other treasured belongings.

Firefighters managed to save their house - but Mr Farley, 55, has now written to Kent Fire and Rescue Service to raise serious questions over whether more could be done to prevent the loss of property.

He suggests a fire break should have been created to stop the flames coming close, and that once on the scene, firefighters should have noticed the potential danger of the fire spreading to the conifer hedge bordering their garden.

"Why is this not being investigated further?" he asks in his letter. "There is negligence here or possibly arson. The loss of our property was extensive preventable and the risk to our lives should be regarded as a potential near miss fatality or serious injury.

"Why did the responders not also call an ambulance or even inquire or check if we had suffered from smoke inhalation (which we had)?

"Why have the FB (Fire Brigade) not come around to see us since to even find out more from the incident or tell us what we need to know?

"The FB operatives who turned up subsequently did a fantastic job to save the main house using suppressant foam and we are so immensely grateful for this. However I believe it should not have got this far in the first place and we were left to fend for ourselves and save our own skins."

Farmer Kevin Attwood insisted he and his workers had done as much as they couldto stop the fire.

But he said it had spread in a manner which he had never seen before, due to unusually hot and dry conditions.

"Once the straw is collected you've got some stubble and it shouldn't be an issue," he said "I haven't seen it burn in rows like that before.

"There's no standard advice about putting fire breaks around houses as soon as you cut a crop.

"Practically, we didn't have time. We actively responded to stop it reaching his house, and I personally drove a JCB to move straw out of the way.

"I moved the straw away from the back of his house and the adjoining property, and I left a fire engine at the back of his house dealing with it."

And he added: "It's not as if you've got half-an-hour to sit and have a chat about how you're going to deal with it.

"We tried to keep it away from the property, we got the fire brigade there and they did their best. It didn't work out. I feel sorry for both of these families and particularly his (Mr Farley's) because they had more damage.

"There's no expectation from previous experience that rows of straw will burn like that, with it leaping row to row. It did things that I haven't experienced or seen before - perhaps because of the heat, something exceptional happened.

"At the end of the day nobody was hurt, and he's still got his principle house - which at one point I wondered about. But they did have four tenders there and they saved it.

"I did my best and did what I could. We were charging around for a long time.

"It was a chastening experience. I was knackered by the time we finished and by the end the firemen looked like they'd had enough of running around in full gear in 80 degree heat."

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the service has now finished it's investigation on the matter.

Ann Millington, chief executive added: “A thorough investigation has been carried out into the incident which involved analysis of data, evidence from crews and other witnesses to the fire.

"The investigation concluded that firefighters did a great job and couldn’t have done anything more to prevent the fire from developing further; especially in the strong winds they faced and extremely challenging conditions.

“Our sympathy goes to Mr Farley and his family for the loss of their holiday let. The quick thinking and hard work of crews meant we were able to save his main home and others in the area.

“Although the cause of the fire isn’t known, the devastating consequences of a fire like it can be life changing.

"Incidents like this often start very quickly, especially in prolonged dry spells like we’re experiencing.

"We’re calling on everyone to be extra careful with discarded matches or litter - because even a small piece of glass can start a fire.

"If anyone sees a field fire please call 999 immediately, and move away from the area quickly - a change of wind direction can lead to real danger.”

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