MAN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FROM NORTH CUMBRIA HOUSE FIRE

The casualty was overcome by smoke as he attempted to put out the blaze with a garden hose.

More than 30 firefighters were dispatched to the incident at its height with crews spending several hours putting out the fire at Green Lane, on the outskirts of Dalston.

It is believed builders were working on the property before the fire broke out, at about 10.30am.

The owner of the cottage escaped unhurt but a worker was taken to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, though he was not thought to have been seriously injured.

An eyewitness, who was diverting traffic away from the scene, said: “We were all trying to fight the fire in the thatch but were overcome by smoke.”

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The UK's smallest thatched cottage?

Not ideally suited for those over four foot in height, this is nonetheless a fine example of the thatcher's art.

Dramatic video footage of thatched roof blaze

This report from the Beccles and Bungay Journal includes dramatic video footage of a blaze in the Norfolk village of Brooke. To view the video click here and then click on the YouTube image in the centre of the page.

Crews from Loddon, Carrow, Earlham, Sprowston, Wymondham, Herthersett and Fakenham, the paper reports,  were called to reports of the fire in the roof of the property after the alarm was raised by a member of the public at about 2.45pm on 28 February.

The major fire service response, which included an aerial ladder platform and two water carriers, saw a total of 53 firefighters at the incident at its height.

Station manager Duncan Ashworth from North Earlham went to the property this morning and conducted an investigation which concluded that it was an “accidental fire most likely caused by a spark from the chimney”.

Two appliances, including an aerial ladder platform, remained at the scene to monitor the situation this morning but all crews left by about noon.

Group manager Greg Preston from Carrow, said firefighters had used the aerial platform to “fight the fire from above”.

He said: “On our arrival we had quite a well-developed fire in the roof of a detached property which spread very quickly after we arrived.”

Firefighters remained on scene well into the night to extinguish the fire which caused a considerable amount of structural damage as well as destroying the roof.

No-one was in the property at the time the fire started but while no-one was hurt there was a considerable effort to rescue valuables from the damaged property – including artwork.

Mr Preston said: “There’s an art studio on the left-hand side at the end and so we salvaged the lady’s artwork and looked to get as many valuables out as we could.”

The weight of the roof that had collapsed in addition to the weight of the water being propelled at the fire meant the salvage operation had to be confined to certain parts of the property as there was the potential for further areas of collapse.

There was also concern that a gable end of the property might collapse and fall on to the garage so firefighters ensured the owner’s vehicle was removed.

A preliminary investigation into what caused the fire was started yesterday but with the firefighting operation still ongoing into the night Mr Preston said it would be at least today before a proper probe was likely to get under way.

The owners of the cottage did not want to speak about the fire.

Some visual inspiration for potential owners of thatched properties

This gallery of thatched cottages for sale from the Telegraph illustrates very persuasively the appeal of living in a thatched building.

Ranging from the humble to the grandiose, these beauties sell from a few hundred thousand to well over a million. Number 9 even comes with its own (compact) box hedge maze!

Prospective purchasers may worry about the safety profile of a thatch building, but, with proper maintenance and safety precautions, thatched roofs are no less effective and reliable than any other material. Insuring a thatched property can also be a lot easier and less expensive than you may think.

Interested in finding out more?

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Insurance: counting the cost of the floods

After severe flooding affected vast areas of farmland across the UK, farmers are reckoning the cost in terms of damage to crops, stock machinery, buildings, and infrastructure. Farming UK reports that the total insured cost of the recent floods could amount to hundreds of millions of pounds. 

Read more here.