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.

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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.

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