Update: 1000 hrs

Two fire crews continue to be at the scene of the fire.

Two new crews took over at 11am. At 1pm, the straw was continuing to burn out safely.

The straw will burn under the watch of crews throughout today – firefighters will only leave the scene once the area has fully cooled.

The cause of the fire will then be established once the site is safe.

The location is the field between Foster Street and Threshers Bush.

As you can see from our film it is still smouldering away.

ESSEX Firefighters were called to reports of a fire in Foster Street, near Harlow this evening.

On arrival, crews confirmed that a large amount of straw, covering an area around 60 metres by 30 metres, was completely alight.

Crews worked hard to get the fire surrounded and prevent it from spreading further. Control teams received several calls to the incident, with smoke from the fire visible from the nearby M11 – if you do notice smoke in the area, please don’t be concerned.

At 6.50pm, firefighters reported that good progress was being made and that the fire is under control. However, due to the material involved, this is likely to be a protracted incident and crews expect to be at the scene for some time.

Three new crews will take over at 8pm.

By 9.30pm, two crews remained at the scene. Firefighters will stay at the site until the straw has burned out and the area is fully cooled, which is likely to be tomorrow (Sunday). The cause will then be established once the area is safe.

Pictures by Essex Fire and Rescue

Drone Footage by David Lawson