Property fire

We are currently in attendance at a thatched property fire. The fire started in a gas canister outside the property but has spread to the thatched roof of a two storey building consisting of three private dwellings.

There was a lot of smoke in the area and Exeter Airport was notified due to the close proximity of the fire to their airport. 

We have had more than 12 fire engines in attendance along with numerous special appliances including two water bowsers and welfare vehicles. Firefighting tactics included:

• three hose reel jets
• one main jet
• one fog spike.

Update at 8pm: the incident has been scaled down to six fire engines.

Currently the fire is being tackled from four sectors, and there is an ongoing salvage operation to retrieve belongings from the building. We are now continuing to dampen down and are stripping back the thatch to check for hotspots.

Update at 5am: the incident has been scaled down further to two fire engines and those crews are continuing to dampen down hotspors using two hose reel jets and two triple extension ladders. 

Update 8am: two fire appliances remain on scene. 3 terraced properties with thatched roof were 100% damaged by fire. 

There will be no further updates.