Crews battle thatch cottage fire

FIREFIGHTERS worked to prevent a thatch roof blaze from spreading after it flared up.

Part of the roof of the cottage in Winterborne Whitechurch was destroyed but Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said it could have been much worse as the fire could have spread to neighbouring properties.

Prompt reporting of the fire and effective work by crews at the scene prevented further damage.

Fifty firefighters in eight engines from across Dorset were involved in the incident which was reported to the brigade at 5.40pm this evening.

The occupier and a neighbour tried to extinguish the fire themselves with a hosepipe before crews arrived.

Firefighters were alerted to Rose Cottages in Lower Street where the thatch around the chimney of one of the properties was alight. Fire engines blocked the small lane which runs from Winterborne Whitechurch towards Winterborne Kingston and the A31.

read more here

Devastation of the house gutted by thatch fire

More than 90 firefighters tackled the blaze at the property in North Weirs, Brockenhurst, throughout the night.

The property belongs to Nic Cicutti and his wife Tina Campbell, who were inside their beloved home when the fire took hold.

They managed to safely escape with their Jack Russell dog Pickles.

Firefighters battled through the night to save the home but were forced to remove the thatched roof.

The top floor has been left decimated by the blaze, leaving it unrecognisable to its owners.

The charred remains of beds and clothes lie where bedrooms once were, and blackened toiletries and a shower cubicle still stand on the bathroom.

Buckets are scattered around the kitchen to catch leaking water through the ceiling as fire crews used tones to extinguish the blaze.

read more here

Thatch fire during Saturday's FBU strike

A thatched property in Fyfield, near Pewsey has been significantly damaged by fire.

Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service was called to the house at 5.45pm yesterday evening and eight fire engines were sent from around the county.

Unfortunately, there was a very strong wind at the time of the fire, and this caused the flames to spread rapidly throughout the roof and first floor.

Area Manager Julian Parsons said: “Thatch fires are notoriously difficult to deal with and, if the fire has spread throughout the roof before the firefighting operations begins, there is little we can do to save the property. The strong winds on Saturday night fanned the flames to the extent that the damage was beyond control very quickly.”

more information on this blog post here

Thatched roof fire sees planning consultant's career goes up in flames

Chris Board, 37, had his Essex home damaged in a fire in May 2011 He repaired the roof with new timber but did not seek planning permission, thinking he didn't need to as the changes didn't alter the house's appearance. But now a fine of £1,000 (plus £3,000 in costs) may be the least of his problems, as Board fears no one will want to employ a planner who has himself been convicted of committing a planning offence.

Read the full story in the Daily Mail here.

Firefighters tackle cottage blaze near Watlington

Eight firefighters helped fight a serious house blaze that could have spread to neighboring houses if it had been left for a few more minutes.

The fire took place at a thatched cottage in Cuxham village, near Watlington at around 6.10pm yesterday.

Smoke was coming from the living room area on the ground floor and eight firefighters were needed to extinguish the serious blaze to stop it spreading to the thatched roof and houses next door.

Seven fire engines from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the house.

Station Manager Bob Speakman said, “This unfortunate incident could have been far worse had the fire taken hold of the thatched roof.

"As it was, the right resources were put in place and quick intervention by crews prevented the spread of fire from the living room area.

“I am convinced that given only a few more minutes left unchecked, the fire would have spread to the roof, causing extensive damage and the threat of spread to other surrounding thatched properties.”

Read the full story here

Preventing a fire

The thatch is designed to repel water and so for a Fire and Rescue Service this makes it a difficult task to extinguish such fires. - prevention is essential, detection is often too late.

The following fire safety advice is recommended for everyone living in thatched buildings:

• it is important to insulate the chimney flue to prevent the heat from transferring into the thatch layer. This is especially important when a solid fuel or wood burner is installed as they burn at higher temperatures (300°C to 600°C) than conventional open fires
• have the chimney swept regularly by a qualified chimney sweep. A chimney in regular use should be swept twice a year.
• don’t burn wet or unseasoned wood as this will lead to a greater build-up of soot deposits in the flue and have the brickwork and rendering checked by a professional builder/qualified chimney engineer. If in doubt, fit a suitable steel insulated liner
• consider a system of heat sensors within the thatch around the chimney. This will give you an early warning of any overheating of the thatch
• if you are undertaking renovation work or re-roofing, consider forming a fireproof barrier between the roof timbers and the thatch layer
• ensure that the top of the chimney stack is at least 1.8 metres (about six feet) above the ridge. This will allow sparks to die away before they drop on to the thatch.
• spark arresters can help prevent fires, but they must be kept clean. This should be done every 3 months on chimneys in regular use
• fit smoke detectors in the roof space – these should be linked so that a detector operating in the roof space will activate the other detectors in the property
• if you have any painting or plumbing work done involving a blow torch, be sure the person undertaking the work has a suitable fire extinguisher to hand
• all electrical work should be carried out by a competent professional
• wiring in the roof space should be checked regularly
• install an outside tap with enough hose to reach around the house including the roof. This can be used to extinguish any fires at an early stage
• avoid having bonfires/fireworks near thatched buildings – and make sure your neighbours are aware of the danger to your home from their bonfires/fireworks
• be extra vigilant if bonfires are being lit nearby
• use a bulkhead type light fitting in your loft space
• never burn rubbish or garden waste near the property
• where television aerials cannot be fitted to a freestanding pole, the aerial should be fixed to a gable or gable-end chimney, where the cable can be run down the wall, avoiding contact with the thatch

Read more Here

Fire chiefs issue stark warning to West Country thatched property owners

WITH the winter months approaching, fire fighters in North Devon are urging householders to ensure their chimney is safe.

Last year in North Devon and Exeter there were 238 fires, and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Services had attended 75 in the area so far this year, including a chimney fire in Holsworthy yesterday (Thursday) evening.

Lee Shepherd, who has been a fire fighter at Barnstaple since 2002, is a registered chimney sweep and is urging people to keep their houses safe.

He said: “I’ve been sweeping over North Devon since 2007 and to date I have issued over 700 chimney certificates, given a lot of advice and learnt a lot along the way from many experienced builders and roofers.

“One of my elderly customers had been suffering from severe headaches for more than five years, and was prescribed various medications for this from her GP.

“Her routine would be to sit in front the gas fire every night and she would go off to bed very sleepy around 9pm.

“What they didn’t know was that she was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, as the gas fire’s chimney had a large nest restricting the vent of fumes and gases escaping.”

Alan Kyle, watch manager at Bideford Fire Station, said: “With the colder, winter months looming, people will begin to start using open fires and their chimneys again.

“In order to keep you and your family safe from fire, you need to take necessary steps such as ensuring your chimney is swept regularly, depending upon what fuel you burn, and I would urge all householders to have a working smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm in their home.”

The fire service is also writing to all thatch property owners across Bideford, Barnstaple and Exeter to offer advice on keeping their homes safe.

“Although thatch fires are not common, over 90 per cent of thatched roof fires start as a result of a faulty flue or chimney,” added watch commander Kyle.

“The thatch is designed to repel water which makes extinguishing such fires difficult.”

See the full story in the North Devon Gazette here.

Thatch fire aftermath

The East Anglian Daily Times carried dramatic pictures this week showing the devastating effects of a thatch fire in Brettenham Road, Hitcham.

Click here to see more images.

Thatched cottage saved by firemen

FIREFIGHTERS prevented a thatched cottage in Cuxham being badly damaged by a blaze. 

They were called to the house at about 6.30pm on Tuesday and spent two hours tackling the fire. 

Seven fire engines from Henley, Wallingford, Thame and Abingdon arrived at the property where smoke was billowing from the ground floor. 

Eight firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire, which was caused by an open fire in the living room that had been left unattended. 

A water carrier, incident support unit, control unit, rescue tender and aerial ladder platform also attended. 


Station manager Bob Speakman said: “This unfortunate incident could have been far worse had the fire taken hold of the thatched roof. 

“As it was, the right resources were put in place and quick intervention by crews prevented the spread of fire from the living room. 

“I am convinced that given a few more minutes left unchecked, the fire would have spread to the roof and caused extensive damage.” 

He urged householders with open fires to use a guard and to have a working smoke alarm. 

Read more on this story here

Firefighters tackle cottage blaze near Watlington

Eight firefighters helped fight a serious house blaze that could have spread to neighbouring houses if it had been left for a few more minutes.

The fire took place at a thatched cottage in Cuxham village, near Watlington at around 6.10pm yesterday.

Smoke was coming from the living room area on the ground floor and eight firefighters were needed to extinguish the serious blaze to stop it spreading to the thatched roof and houses next door.

Seven fire engines from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the house.

Station Manager Bob Speakman said, “This unfortunate incident could have been far worse had the fire taken hold of the thatched roof.

"As it was, the right resources were put in place and quick intervention by crews prevented the spread of fire from the living room area.

“I am convinced that given only a few more minutes left unchecked, the fire would have spread to the roof, causing extensive damage and the threat of spread to other surrounding thatched properties.”

Read more here

Academic study on thatching reviewed

Just found this thorough and helpful review of a weighty tome on the subject of Thatching in Western Europe...

“This excellent book about thatching in Western Europe covers a subject which has so far received little attention on a larger scale. Thatched roofs and the techniques employed in making them are very vulnerable to the elements and tend to change over time, which makes the recording of them especially important. The jury were particularly impressed with the wide area covered in the study and the detailed discussion of techniques, materials and the social context of thatching.”

This in-depth study traces the ancient tradition of thatching, from Northwest Spain to the most strongly represented areas across Western Europe. The wide scope of the field work covers Iberia, Britain, Ireland, Germany, Holland, Scandinavia, France and the Italian Piedmont. The comparative methodology employed is the first of its kind and has filled a previous void in recorded knowledge of thatching throughout Western Europe."

To continue reading click here.

The fascinating origins and practice of thatching

Loosely speaking, thatching is the use of straw or grasses as a building material. Using thatch for roofing goes back as far as the Bronze Age in Britain. At Shearplace Hall in Dorset there are remains of a round hut that shows signs of thatching. 



Thatched cottages and farm buildings were the norm in rural Britain for a millennium or more. Why the attraction to thatch? First of all, the building practices of bygone Britain ran to lightweight, irregular materials, such as wattle and daub walls, and cruck beams. These walls were simply not made to take much weight, and thatch was by far the lightest weight material available.

The study of materials used in thatch buildings can get pretty obscure, but basically, people used whatever was available locally.

This meant materials as diverse as broom, sedge, sallow, flax, grass, and straw. Most common is wheat straw in the south of England, and reeds in East Anglia. Norfolk reed is especially prized by thatchers, although in northern England and Scotland heather was frequently used.

Read more on the Britain Express website here

Devon fire crews report thatch fire in Axminster

Fire Control received a call reporting a chimney fire at a thatched property in Holy City. Two appliances from Chard attended the property, the fire was believed to be out and crews used a thermal imaging camera to ensure the fire was extinguished.

See the incident report here.

How thatched roofed pub landlords pulled back from the brink of ruin after devastating fire

A recent story in the Bridport News reports how two popular East Devon publicans are retiring after coming close to ruin following a devastating that fire several years ago:

Brian Jenkins, 62, and wife Denise Jenkins, 59, have been pulling pints at the New Inn at Kilmington, East Devon, for more than 21 years.

They have led the pub into being one of CAMRA’s Magnificent Seven, as they are in the select group of pubs mentioned in each of the 41 editions of the Good Beer Guide.

The couple’s success was made all the more satisfying after the pub was destroyed by a fire sparked in the thatched roof and was shut for nearly a year for rebuilding.

Mr Jenkins said: “We only had what we stood up in and that was it, everything else was gone. It was devastating, and it plays on my mind now when I start thinking about it.”

After the fire, the pub was rebuilt and reopened.

Read more here

174-year-old Barrington school has roof re-thatched

One of the last remaining schools with a traditional thatched roof has had the rustic reeds replaced during the summer holidays.

The 174-year-old school in the village of Barrington was re-thatched with a reed roof for the first time in village’s living memory.

Teaching 150 children, the school is one of only three in the country to have a traditional thatched roof.

The school’s Headteacher, Mrs Francesca Catterson, said: “This year marks Barrington primary school’s 175th anniversary and just in time for the celebrations, the old school house received a much needed makeover. “We are absolutely delighted with the new thatch which required the specialist skills and know-how of Pepper Thatchers.

“Despite our age the school retains the same strong Christian family values upon which it was founded.”

Chris Pepper, of Pepper’s Cambridge Thatching, said: “It is extremely unusual for a school in this country to have a thatched roof and we have never done one before,

“The school roof has taken about six weeks to complete. We need to have it ready in charge for the new school term.”

Val Tookey, clerk of Barrington Parish Council, said: “‘I have been connected to the village for more than 40 years and I don’t remember it ever being thatched before. It has been re-patched in the past, but it’s the first time it has been re-thatched completely for a long, long time, and definitely not within my lifetime.”

She added: “It has been exciting to see it being done.”

Opened in 1838, the school the school cost £500 to build, which included £25 for the sedge roof

Read more here

Thatched roof of listed cottage destroyed by fire

A FIRE which destroyed the roof of a listed cottage was started accidentally, an investigator has found.

Hunters Lodge in Broadhempston was severely damaged by the fire which started in the roofspace above the bathroom.

A fire investigation has determined it was started accidentally as a result of an 'electrical event'. Damage was so severe it was not possible for the investigator to say if it was a fault which caused the fire.

Eight pumps from Totnes, Newton Abbot, Buckfastleigh, Ashburton and Torquay were sent to the Grade II listed building at 2pm on Thursday, September 19.

An incident command unit from Totnes, the aerial ladder platform and water foam carrier from Torquay joined them at the scene due to the danger posed by a thatched roof blaze.

The immediate area around the building, on the edge of the village, was closed and firefighters wore breathing masks to fight the blaze.

Smoke rising from the burning building could be seen from the other side of the village. Speaking from the scene group commander Nick Jones said: "Because it was a thatched roof fire we mobilized a lot of assets. On arrival the first crews found a serious developing fire within the roof of the property and immediately started to attack the blaze. It was quickly established the property was unoccupied and no people were involved."

Within an hour the roof of the building had started to collapse.

Firefighters used two compressed air foam jets, two hose reels and six sets of breathing apparatus.

The distraught owner arrived at about 3.30pm to see his home in flames. By 4pm crews worked to removed thatch from the roof and salvage what they could from the four-bedroom building. They stayed at the scene through the evening removing thatch to a safe area.
Firefighters were still dampening down the cottage on Friday morning.

The roof was completely destroyed as was one third of the first floor. The ground floor was still intact, but the cob walls had absorbed a lot of water during the firefighting operation.

The fire service could not confirm whether or not the building would have to be demolished.





Read the original story here

Looking to buy a thatched property?

If you are looking for a thatched property to buy, the Guardian reports, you could do worse than taking a look at a website called Period Property UK. Also good for finding castles and medieval manor houses, apparently!

You can find the Period Property website here.

When we looked this morning we found this somewhat compromised thatched cottage in Norfolk.

Survey of thatched fire causation and outcomes

A new report from scientific consulting and engineering firm Burgoynes has thrown some interesting new light on what causes thatch fires.

Burgoynes investigate 20-30 thatch fires a year.  While thatch fires represent a small proportion of building fires as a whole, they note, the losses are disproportionately high because thatched properties are generally of higher than average value and are frequently listed structures, leading to high repair costs. Thatch fires are also difficult to extinguish and tend to be in remote locations, with inadequate water supplies, leading to increased damage.

Whilst a few thatch fires are a result of the spread of fire from elsewhere inside or outside the building, the association with chimneys serving solid fuel fireplaces, stoves or ranges has been recognised for some time. Traditionally, it was assumed that the thatch was ignited by embers emitted from the chimney but this assumption was challenged in a 1988 report from RHM Technology,

This highlighted the possibility that heat transfer through the chimney structure into the thatch could cause fires to break out. Although no actual cases of high temperatures in thatch in buildings with chimneys in use were demonstrated in the report, this heat transfer theory has gained widespread acceptance over time amongst those with interests in thatch fires including Fire Brigades and Local Authorities. 

This lass led to statements such as that appearing on some fire brigade website warning that “more than 90% of fires in thatched properties are caused by faults in the flue or chimney”...

Read more here.

Firefighters battle to save East Garston thatched roof

FIREFIGHTERS from five local stations battled to save the thatched roof of an East Garston cottage yesterday (Sun) evening.

Watch manager Lee Glover, of Blue Watch at Newbury Fire Station said pumps were called at 7.18pm from Newbury, Hungerford, Swindon, Ramsbury and Wantage – around 25 firefighters – to the fire in the thatched roof of a cottage in Station Road.

“The thatch was well alight,” said Mr Glover, adding the cause was believed to be a log burner, lit for the first time yesterday.

Firefighters pulled out thatch either side of the fire, creating a break, to prevent it spreading further.

The thatch was 40 per cent damaged in the blaze.

“Normally we lose 90 per cent in a thatch fire,” added Mr Glover.

The blaze was extinguished by 11pm, when the fire fighting operation was scaled down to two pumps.

No-one was hurt.

One pump was left on watch to ensure the fire did not re-ignite and a Newbury crew inspected the fire at 7.30am today (Mon) when the incident was closed.

The roof was covered in tarpaulin sheets after the fire.

Read the full story in Newbury Today here

Close shave for Suffolk thatched roof

Firefighters were called to a chimney fire at a thatched property in The Street, Icklingham, Suffolk just after 7pm on 14 September.

Fortunately the fire did not affect the building's thatched roof and the  incident was under control by 8pm.

Read the full story on EADT24

Newbury fire crews partially save burning thatch roof

Newbury Today yesterday reported that fire crews from five stations in the local area battled to save the thatched roof of an East Garston cottage on Sunday evening.

Watch manager Lee Glover, of Blue Watch at Newbury Fire Station said pumps were called at 7.18pm from Newbury, Hungerford, Swindon, Ramsbury and Wantage – around 25 firefighters – to the fire in the thatched roof of a cottage in Station Road.

“The thatch was well alight,” said Mr Glover, adding the cause was believed to be a log burner, lit for the first time yesterday.

Firefighters pulled out thatch either side of the fire, creating a break, to prevent it spreading further.

The thatch was 40 per cent damaged in the blaze.

“Normally we lose 90 per cent in a thatch fire,” added Mr Glover.

The blaze was extinguished by 11pm, when the fire fighting operation was scaled down to two pumps.

No-one was hurt.

One pump was left on watch to ensure the fire did not re-ignite and a Newbury crew inspected the fire at 7.30am today (Mon) when the incident was closed.

The roof was covered in tarpaulin sheets after the fire.

Devon workshop fire damages thatched house in Ashreighney

Firefighters were called to a blaze in the village of Ashreighney, near Chulmleigh, Devon, at about 11am on August 25.

Devon and Somerset Fire Service said that fuel in a neighbouring workshop caught fire and winds caused the conflagration to spread to the house's thatch roof.

Both the workshop and the thatched house were destroyed in the blaze.

The one person  at the property, described as being in a "quite remote location", escaped injury and fire crews were able to salvage belongings from the property.

For further details see the full story on the BBC Devon website Devon thatch fire.

Norfolk reed thatcher at work

Fascinating footage of a thatcher at work from YouTube.

Not exactly a thrilled-packed ride, but well worth a watch for lovers of thatch and thatching.

Radio blaze averted

A serious fire at a thatched property in Three Legged Cross, Dorset was narrowly averted earlier this month after fire crews promptly attended a domestic fire started when a plastic radio was left on an oven hob which was subsequently turned on by accident. Despite sustaining extensive smoke damage, the property was fortunate to be spared worse harm. 

Read the full story in the Daily Echo here.

Artist's impression only.

Latest wood burning stove and thatch incident

This is Somerset recently reported that firefighters were called to a fire at a thatched house in Muchelney near Langport earlier this month.

It was reported that "a fire engine from Martock was sent to the fire involving a wood burner at the property on Manor Lane at around 8pm on Sunday" (4 August) "Crews put out the fire and also dampened the thatched roof as a precaution.

The wood burner was moved to the outside of the house."

Read the full story here

Banbury Pub gets its thatch back

From the Banbury Observer:

THE return of three birds to the roof of Banbury’s Three Pigeons pub has marked the end of a £30,000 project to restore the town’s only thatched property.

Following the Great Fire of Banbury in 1628, one third of buildings in the town centre were destroyed and the use of thatch was banned to prevent future disasters.

The Three Pigeons, in Southam Road, was the only thatched building to survive the blaze and has since remained the only building in the town to have a straw roof.

Last Friday a six-week project to restore the roof came to an end and saw three new pigeons placed at the top of the pub, which had been missing one of its three birds for several years.

Owner Paul Laird who bought the pub with his wife Tina last year, said: “We knew the thatch needed some attention as part of the renovation works we are undertaking. It was last re-thatched 15 years ago and during an inspection some underlying issues were found which meant we needed to get the whole roof done.

“It’s the last thatched building in Banbury and we have replaced it like-for-like with the same design. The only things that have changed are the three pigeons, which are slightly different, but we thought it would be a good opportunity to get up there and return them all to the roof.

“I’m over the moon with the outcome, it looks absolutely stunning and I have had a lot of positive comments from people about how great it looks – I’m really chuffed.”

The work was undertaken by Stuart Viggers of Stuart Viggers Master Thatchers, with help from employee Samuel Turner and apprentice Stevie Jones.

Mr Viggers said: “There were three of us on site and we completed the roof with combed wheatstraw. I’m over the moon with the final result – it ranks as one of our best ever jobs.”

The £30,000 thatch restoration is part of a £550,000 renovation project being undertaken by Mr Laird to transform the building, interior and garden into a traditional English, family-friendly pub ahead of its planned opening in September.

Newmarket thatched property damaged by fire

Hot weather and conifers implicated in East Anglian thatch blaze.

The dangers of wood burning stoves

The Daily Telegraph reports that "thatched cottage owners could be putting themselves at risk by using wood burning stoves in homes where the roofs are unable to cope with the intense heat from the modern wood fires.

There are 400,00 ancient thatched cottages in Britain, many listed as being of special interest, but each winter dozens are lost to fires and fire brigades often point to wood burning stoves as the cause.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service issued the warning after six thatched cottages were damaged by fire, believed to be caused by wood burning stoves, in a three week period.

An investigation into three of the fires, which took place near Andover when temperatures plummeted below freezing this April, found wood burning stoves were a factor in each of the blazes.

Community Safety Officer Paul Francis, who's leading a campaign to encourage thatched home owners to maintain their chimneys, said "Modern enclosed solid fuel appliances are designed to burn at an increased temperature to promote a more efficient 'clean burn'.

“But when fitted in elderly chimneys with only a four-inch layer of brick and a poorly maintained lining, the thatch becomes extremely vulnerable to heat transfer and therefore fire."

The fires near Andover took place between 29 March and 7 April, and saw up to 70 firefighters called out to put out the blaze each time. The fire service has created a ‘thatch pack’ with fire safety tips for owners in a bid to try and avoid more cottages being destroyed, which advises owners to ensure chimneys are swept regularly and roofs are properly lined.

See the full story here.