Mystery surrounds cause of Norfolk's biggest blaze this year

The cause of the fire - which saw 400,000 tonnes of bark burn for days at the TMA Bark site in West Longville, near Dereham - is still yet to be revealed.

The blaze - which began on August 21 and ran until the bank holiday on the 25th - prompted a huge response by Norfolk’s Fire Service.

The cause of the blaze remains unknown(Image: Norfolk County Council)

39 or Norfolk's 42 fire crews were involved in tackling the fire(Image: Norfolk County Council)

Crews from 39 of the county’s 42 fire stations had attended the scene, with hundreds of firefighters involved in the effort. 

Fire bosses say this was a “large” incident for Norfolk, and that the county tends to battle two incidents of its size every year. 

Yet, the cause of the blaze remains undisclosed, with representatives from TMA Bark remaining tight-lipped, declining to offer a comment.

The smell of smoke stretched miles after the blaze broke out(Image: Mike Page)

The blaze burned for days(Image: Mike Page)

Norfolk Fire Service say that after a consultation with the bark manufacturer no formal investigation has been launched. 

It said: "A formal investigation is carried out when it hits the criteria, in many instances we can ascertain enough detail from our incident commanders and crews on the night to mean that we don't have to carry out the formal investigation.

"We have been working with the site owners at TMA Bark throughout the process."

The cost of 400,000 tonnes of bark at retail price is estimated to stretch into the millions.

During the days-long blaze, a stench of smoke stretched miles, with locals living as far as Norwich reporting a smoky smell.