A RETIRED race horse trainer claims he was nearly smoked out of his home after a blaze destroyed hundreds of straw bales at his farm on bonfire night.

Police will be investigating the blaze at Howard Johnson’s farm but could not start their enquiries today as the straw was still smouldering almost 24 hours after the fire was first reported.

Two fire crews from Crook and a third from Durham City were called to the blaze at around 6pm yesterday (November 5) at White Lea Farm in Billy Row near Crook, County Durham.

Group manager for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service Steve Wharton said the 200 bales, with each bale weighing about a tonne, were well alight when the crews arrived.

He said due to the rural location of the farm there was limited access to water, so fire fighters focussed on stopping the blaze from growing rather than trying to dowse all the flames.

Mr Wharton said straw is impossible to save once it is alight and that it can carry on burning for hours.

Firefighters remained on the scene until 11.20am and the road between Billy Row and Old White Lea was closed for most of the night and morning.

Mr Wharton said the blaze acted like a “BBQ the size of a house”, in that the straw burned quickly then clumped together to form a long-lasting coal like substance.

He said there are several potential causes of a fire in hay bales, including the heat generated by the bales themselves causing combustion.

Mr Johnson is adamant however that youths were to blame as he said a worker of his saw a gang of about eight youths believed to be in their late teens near the site and acting “in a drunken way” shortly before the blaze started.

He said: “Thankfully the fire was well contained by the fire service but with the way the wind was blowing my wife Sue and I were very close to being smoked out of our own home.”

Mr Johnson said up to 30 bags of silage had also been destroyed and he is awaiting a visit from an insurance assessor to determine the value of the damage.

LAST night’s fire at his home farm is the latest in a series of misfortunes to strike Mr Johnson in the last few years.

AUGUST 2011: Mr Johnson quits horse racing in response to being banned from the sport for four years after being found guilty of running a horse after it had an illegal “denerving” operation and training horses that had been given prohibited drugs.

JANUARY 2011: Mr Johnson responds to the above charges laid by the British Horse Racing Authority by saying he will go on the Jeremy Kyle show to prove his innocence. The ITV 1 show did not rule out having him on as a guest.

APRIL 2010: Two armed robbers hold Mr Johnson and his wife Sue at gunpoint after bursting into their home before making off with £100,000 from the trainer’s safe. The couple offer a £10,000 reward and the crime is televised on BBC’s Crimewatch.

DECEMBER 2009: A fire which started in a sauna causes extensive damage to a cottage on Mr Johnson’s farm where his daughter and her family lived. No one was injured, but two pet gerbils died from smoke inhalation, and several fish also died.

OCTOBER 2009: Thieves steal six gates worth £800 from his farm which nearly resulted in 200 sheep being let loose. The theft occurred hours after one of his star horses, Inglis Drever, suffered colic and had to be put down.

AUGUST 2006: Mr Johnson suffered a dislocated shoulder and facial injuries after being attacked by two men near his farm. He was back at work shortly afterwards and said at the time he wanted to forget about the assault and get on with work.