AN ELDERLY woman had to be rescued after a tractor fire threatened to spread to neighbouring homes.

Firefighters attended the incident in Stocking Lane, Shenington in north Oxfordshire at 3pm on Saturday.

A fuel spill from the burning tractor had ignited and was threatening to set fire to surrounding parked cars.

Pictures from the scene showed large billows of black smoke engulfing the area with trails of fuel on fire running along the side of the road.

Hedging at the front of an adjacent house was also burning with windows cracking due to the extreme heat.

As crews arrived on the scene, the elderly woman who lived in this building was immediately rescued from her home.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus worked to extinguish the fire using high pressure hosereels and foam.

Fire engines from Banbury and Chipping Norton together with a fire engine from Gaydon in Warwickshire attended the incident.

Crews remained on scene for some time while the wreckage of the tractor was recovered, and safety checks were made on the two properties closest to the fire.

Paramedics from South Central Ambulance Service also attended the scene.

Station manager Chris Wilson said the fire is thought to have been caused by a mechanical defect.

He added: “The intensity of the fire so close to houses together with the running fuel fire posed a real risk to local properties and the first attending firefighters had to act quickly and aggressively to prevent serious fire spread.

"It would appear that the tractor was involved in cutting the grass verge when the fire occurred so is likely to have been caused by a mechanical defect and/or overheating."

The fire service has already tackled a number of agricultural fires already this summer due to the hot weather.