More than a mile of fires in the countryside were caused by a steam train, it has been confirmed by officials.

Multiple fire crews were called to reports of fires near Chinnor yesterday (Sunday, June 29).

Four fire engines attended as well as a water carrier as the firefighters “worked in arduous conditions” of more than 30°C heat.

They were battling a number of small fires along “1.5 miles of heritage railway between Chinnor and Bledlow” for around five hours, between 2.10 pm and 7.13 pm.

Multiple fire engines went to the scene. This included Wainhill Lane, where one householder John Spiegelhalter said it was lucky some of the surrounding dry Barley fields didn’t catch alight.

Photos show scorched vegetation and singed wooden fence posts around the heritage trainline that runs between Chinnor and Princes Risborough, with Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service now confirming a steam train was responsible.

A local resident said it was lucky local farm fields didn't catch alight. A spokesperson said: “The cause was accidental after the passing of a steam locomotive on the heritage line.”

They added: “Fire crews worked in arduous conditions along the length of this section of railway to extinguish spot fires, with fires at multiple lineside locations.  Crews shuttled water, and used two main jets, hose reels and backpack sprayers to extinguish the fires.”

The Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway runs along the Chilterns escarpment and has become a popular tourist attraction in recent decades. It was the part of the Great Western Railway from 1872 with its last commercial service being in the 1950s.