75 firefighters battle Torrington thatch blaze

FIREFIGHTERS from all over Devon worked through the night to tackle a fire that threatened to destroy a row of Grade Two listed thatch cottages near Torrington on Saturday. At the height of the blaze, 75 firemen battled flames, thought to have spread from

FIREFIGHTERS from all over Devon worked through the night to tackle a fire that threatened to destroy a row of Grade Two listed thatch cottages near Torrington on Saturday.

At the height of the blaze, 75 firemen battled flames, thought to have spread from a kitchen at the end-terrace home in Kingscott.

Crews from Bideford, Torrington, Barnstaple, Appledore, Hatherleigh, Chulmleigh, Ilfracombe, Okehampton, Hartland, Braunton, South Molton, Tavistock, North Tawton, Middlemoor, Chagford, Crediton and as far away as Exmouth worked from midnight until 5pm on Saturday.

The end terrace - one of a range of four, two storey thatched properties forming an L shape - was almost completely destroyed but firefighters managed to save neighbouring properties by forming a fire break in the thatched roof.

Bideford Group Commander Alan Coxon said: "Although it is very upsetting for the residents of the property, the incident could have been a lot worse.

"We could quite easily have been looking at fire spreading to the entire building but thanks to fire breaks made in thatch, other properties in terrace were unaffected by fire.