To think I didn't deserve abuse for this?

[QuestionableMouse]

The lane where I walk my dog borders a arable field. It's had a stack of square bales on it for the past few days and a couple of spots of loose straw where the baling has failed. This morning I walked past and saw that one of the loose stacks was on fire. It was quite close to the big stack and the wind was blowing sparks on it. I rang the fire brigade who came out and dealt with it.

I posted on the village Facebook group so someone could let the farmer know so he could come over and speak to the fire brigade if he felt it was needed.

I got an absolute load of abuse back from him saying that I'd over reacted, that it would have burned itself out and a few of the other villagers agreed. It got go bad I deleted the post and blocked them all.

I don't think I over reacted. The pile of loose was quite large, well alight and the wind was blowing bits of flaming straw and sparks over the entire stubble field, including onto the large stack of bales.

Wibu?

[nancy75]

I know nothing about countryside stuff but from what you’ve said it would have surely been madness to not call the fire brigade?

[ISmellBabies]

Ywnbu. Farmer sounds weirdly pissed off for someone helping save his bales. Maybe you ruined someone's carefully planned insurance job! Don't worry about it.

[ISmellBabies]

Apologise and offer to set it on fire again!

[Geminijes]

You were not unreasonable.

I can't understand why people were so rude and abusive when you were just trying to help. How are you supposed to have known that the fire would have burnt it self out?

There is no need what so ever to be rude to anyone trying to help. Some people are just bad mannered, low life scum.

[HoneysuckIejasmine]

What?! Arson of bales is a problem in the countryside. I can't understand why he wouldn't want someone to put out a fire. Hay is very valuable!

[QuestionableMouse]

I don't think it would have burnt itself out to be honest. I think the entire stack would have gone up.

I did wonder about an insurance job!

[Evilmorty]

This is why I hate local Facebook groups. The way they behave in some of them is like villagers with pitch forks. The other people chiming in were either his friends or his fake accounts.

[Thingsdogetbetter]

Insurance job or he got a lot of shite off fire service for unsafe practices, possible fine etc.

[QuestionableMouse]

I'm not a villager despite my family having lived here on and off for the best part of 50 years. My grandparents lived in this my house for over 30. It's a horrible attitude about what is a pretty bog standard village.

[QuestionableMouse]

I did also wonder if he'd be charged for the call and that's why he was getting pissy over it?

[VladmirsPoutine]

I know it's very serious but your post did make me laugh wrt the 'angry villagers' pitch-forks out!
But yanbu, of course you were right to call fire brigade.

[IamPickleRick]

Maybe you interrupted their harvest wicker man festival?

[DontTouchTheMoustache]

What a moron. You cant predict what will happen with fire its just not worth the risk.

[Dyrne]

I absolutely love my local Facebook page for stuff like this - the absolute bun fighting that goes on there makes MN look tame! Especially surprising since everyone's obviously posting under their real name!

The reason the farmer had a go at was not the fact that you called the fire brigade - it was probably that you felt the need to ‘shame’ him on Facebook. If you called the fire brigade and dealt with it the farmer would have probably been aware eventually anyway; no need to post on Facebook for the congratulatory “Oh well done for doing such a FAB thing, hun” posts...

[KUGA]

I would stand and watch his house burn down if it ever happens.
What a bunch of arseholes you are living near.
I think you totally did the right thing.

[Drum2018]

YWNBU for calling the firebridage but YWBU to post it on Facebook. I'm sure the fire brigade would have been able to locate the farmer themselves. The farmer may have been annoyed that you posted it on Facebook for the entire village to pass comment on.

[youarenotkiddingme]

There's a fire - you call the fire brigade.

We teach this to 2yo in nursery.

This is one of the times the old age Man phase "are you on glue?" Is entirely appropriate!

[fatfluffycushion]

I'm not sure it was a potential insurance job because I had a hay barn fire years ago and a friend said at the time of it that his parents In Scotland no longer stored straw or hay inside the farm buildings as they couldn't get insurance on the buildings if they did ( previous history of arson hay / straw fires apparently )
Rude of him with his reaction to you anyway

[WhatTiggersDoBest]

Sounds like he was trying to burn the stubble (used to be very common farming practice) while being able to deny the fact he'd done it because it's illegal now. He's pissed off because you found it and interfered. From your point of view you were doing a Good Thing. From his... not so much. Sorry that's not to say YABU but people tend to be mad when you stop them doing stuff they can't actually admit to doing.

[SilentAlarm]

I live in a village and I would have done the same as you did.

If your Facebook community page is anything like ours then people probably just go on looking for an argument. Don’t stress about it - you did the right thing and some people have nothing better to do than stir the pot!

[TrainspottingWelsh]

I agree with drum

Unless of course there’s something dodgy going on. If the bales are unwrapped/ uncovered has it been dry since they’ve been there? Or if they are wrapped and the ground is soaked he was aware and already keeping an eye incase it did spread.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

Ywnbu. My village fb must be unusually tame then. no nasty comments or maybe just deleted by admin.

[QualCheckBot]

I'd be concerned if I'd also seen this and I live in the countryside too. The only rational explanation is that the farmer either thought you were criticising him and was worried about the social media impact or thought he might be charged for a call out. Either way its unjustifiable, as is any further abuse you received. All the farmers I know have a strong social media presence and see it as a way of keeping in touch with happenings in the local area but maybe they are a bit more polite round my way.

Doubt its an insurance job as straw, as a by-product, isn't worth that much and it hardly seems worth baling for that. Perhaps he couldn't be bothered bringing the bales in and wanted them to burn out?

Facebook seems to be used by some individuals as an excuse for vilifying and abusing people over and over again for the most innocuous things. I'm so sorry you have been subjected to this for doing someone a good turn.

[TheMustressMhor]

It doesn't matter what you post on a local FB page, someone will soon be along to tell you how terrible you are.

Local FB pages are just awful.

[QuestionableMouse]

I don't think he was trying to burn the stubble. There's three big stacks of bales in the field that would have gone up too.

He lives over the other side of the village so wouldn't have been able to see what was going on. I know he's active in the Facebook group so it seemed the quickest way to contact him.

A car crashed into the same filed last year and the fire brigade had to basically demolish the gate to get access. He had a rant on the group then about people not getting in touch him about shit happening on his property.