A film crew shooting scenes for a star-studded costume drama came to the rescue, after more than 20 acres of cornfields were destroyed by a series of fires which broke out along the Weybourne Road railway embankment towards Sheringham.

North Norfolk News: Firefighters tackling a series of fires that broke out in fields along Weybourne RoadPhoto: KAREN BETHELLFirefighters tackling a series of fires that broke out in fields along Weybourne RoadPhoto: KAREN BETHELL (Image: Archant)

Six appliances and two water carriers were called to a large fire near Weybourne Windmill, with a further three crews attending smaller fires towards Sheringham golf course.

Norfolk Fire Service operational support officer Paul Richardson said the cause of the blaze, which took just over an hour to extinguish, was as yet unknown.

North Norfolk News: Firefighters tackling a series of fires that broke out in fields along Weybourne RoadPhoto: KAREN BETHELLFirefighters tackling a series of fires that broke out in fields along Weybourne RoadPhoto: KAREN BETHELL (Image: Archant)

Praising firefighters for their fast actions in 'arduous conditions', he added: 'Standing corn will burn as quick as you can run, but what we were able to do was to stop the fire from spreading into the next field, which would then have impinged on housing.'

He thanked the film crew, who were working on Weybourne beach on an adaptation of Dickens' David Copperfield starring Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie and Peter Capaldi.

North Norfolk News: Firefighters tackling a series of fires that broke out in fields along Weybourne RoadPhoto: KAREN BETHELLFirefighters tackling a series of fires that broke out in fields along Weybourne RoadPhoto: KAREN BETHELL (Image: Archant)

'They saw the fire from where they were and brought up their own water carrier so went around the fire ground topping up our tanks, which was really good of them,' Mr Richardson explained.

Nigel Smith, of Priory Holdings, which owns the fields, said the site had previously been hit by fire in 2002.

North Norfolk News: Firefighters tackling a series of fires that broke out in fields along Weybourne RoadPhoto: KAREN BETHELLFirefighters tackling a series of fires that broke out in fields along Weybourne RoadPhoto: KAREN BETHELL (Image: Archant)

North Norfolk News: Fire crews damping down the flames at WeybournePhoto: KAREN BETHELLFire crews damping down the flames at WeybournePhoto: KAREN BETHELL (Image: Archant)

North Norfolk News: Firefighters heading for the blackened fields at WeybournePhoto: KAREN BETHELLFirefighters heading for the blackened fields at WeybournePhoto: KAREN BETHELL (Image: Archant)

North Norfolk News: Fire crews damping down the flames at WeybournePhoto: KAREN BETHELLFire crews damping down the flames at WeybournePhoto: KAREN BETHELL (Image: Archant)

North Norfolk News: Photo: Lyndon SwiftPhoto: Lyndon Swift (Image: Archant)

North Norfolk News: Fire in Weybourne, near Sheringham. Photo: Ann EcclestonFire in Weybourne, near Sheringham. Photo: Ann Eccleston (Image: Archant)

North Norfolk News: Another view of the fire near Sheringham. Picture: SAMUEL WRIGHTAnother view of the fire near Sheringham. Picture: SAMUEL WRIGHT (Image: Archant)

North Norfolk News: Another view of the blaze. Picture: ALICE WELLSAnother view of the blaze. Picture: ALICE WELLS (Image: Archant)