Firefighters were called to a caravan fire last night.

Four crews, Carlisle West, Lazenby, Penrith and Brampton stations, attended the fire at a farm close to Armathwaite just after 11pm.

A spokesman for Cumbria Fire and Rescue said: "It's often challenging to prevent fires spreading in rural areas due to the lack of readily available water supplies you find in towns and cities.

"Often we require a number of fire engines to attend to supply such water."

Crews battled the blaze with caution as there was asbestos on site and needed to stop the fire spreading to a building close by.

The spokesman added: "We also had the added danger of asbestos on site which is incredibly hazardous to health when it is involved in a fire.

"Due to the rapid intervention of the attending crews, this risk was reduced by the application of water to suppress fibrous release from the sources.

"There are many hazards we face at fires that we must consider and be ready to react to any eventuality, no matter how serious the nature of the job we are attending."

Hose reel jets, breathing apparatus and a heat responsive thermal imaging cameras were used to put out the blaze.

No-one was hurt during the incident. Crews were on scene for about two hours.