A FARMER managed to escape from his tractor only seconds before it exploded into a fireball in a residential street in Highworth on Saturday night.

Residents said the man, who is believed to come from nearby Hannington, pulled up his vehicle in a safe location away from homes and cars before running for his life.

Fire crews spent about two hours tackling the blaze in Cricklade Road which threw flames and debris 30 feet into the air. No one was injured.

A crowd of about 20 people gathered to watch the drama unfolding, including Peter James, who took the amazing photographs.

Mr James, a retired marketing manager for Fuji in Kenya, said: “It was all drama.

“I am used to bush fires but this thing was absolutely amazing. For about five minutes it was an absolute raging inferno. Flames leapt 30 feet into the air.”

The fire, which took place between about 8.30pm and 10pm, ripped through the tractor and the attached bailer where it had been parked by the side of the road.

Mr James said: “I was sitting reading my book and there were two loud bangs outside. It sounded like gunfire but then I thought no, because I didn’t feel the reverberations.

“I looked outside and I saw a tractor with a bailer attached in the lane on fire.

“I ran out, grabbed the camera and managed to get outside before the fire engines arrived. It was an absolute inferno.”

Mr James said he spoke to the farmer about the incident as the man stood watching the blaze.

“He was coming through Highworth to go back to his farm when he could smell burning,” said Mr James.

“He realised it was a problem and parked the tractor as far away from other vehicles and buildings as possible.

“Then he had to leap from it to get away before it burst into a fireball.”

Mr James, who praised the farmer for his actions, said the man had told him it was his oldest tractor and the wheels had recently been replaced at a cost of £400 each.

Jan Boddy, 78, who lives opposite the scene of the fire, said: “I heard two explosions and I went out but I didn’t stay out there very long because there was debris flying everywhere and the tree caught fire.

“The driver was standing on the pavement, talking on his phone but I couldn’t get to him because it was so hot. “It was a roaring fire and there were bangs going off and sparks flying.”

Police closed off the road and officials from Southern Electric were also in attendance because there was overhead cables.

Residents said the burnt-out vehicle was carried away at about 11pm and the road was treated with chemicals at about midnight.

Yesterday the ground was blackened and a tree was singed where it had caught fire