SIXTY firefighters from four counties battled a major thatched roof fire which devastated a home.

The fire resulted in some homes in the village of Alton Pancras in the Piddle Valley being plunged into darkness as power had to be cut to allow crews to fight the blaze.

The B3143 through the village had to be closed for safety reasons.

The blaze began shortly before 9am this morning.

Occupiers of the house, a man and a woman, called the fire service which immediately sent eight engines to the blaze.

Neither of the occupants were injured.

Police were called to shut the B3143 at the Ripp’s Lane junction amidst fears that the building would collapse.

Sixty firefighters from Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon and Somerset spent the morning tackling the blaze and salvaging as much as they could from inside. The cause is not yet known.

Andy Fox, group manager at the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The despatch of eight fire engines was predetermined from experience with thatch fires.

“We then called in two more to make ten and asked for a couple of water carriers because of the house’s geographic location.

“Firefighters worked really hard to contain the fire to the main part of the house, as there is a tile extension on the side that they were protecting.

“We also had the Red Cross to support us.”

Part of the village was briefly without electricity as power lines over the road presented a hazard to the fire fighters.

Mr Fox said: “If it’s a choice between power off and the life of a firefighter, it’s an easy decision.”

He urged people who live in homes with thatched roofs to visit the brigade website for safety tips.

He said: “This is the third thatch roof fire I have been called to in two weeks. I would like people to visit our website and look at the safety tips.

“These include sweeping the chimney, having a hose pipe outside the home long enough to reach round the building and smoke detectors in the roof space of the property as well as the rest of the house.”

Beth Liney, who works in Alton Pancras, said: “The fire was going strong when I came here at 9.30am.

“They have lost the entire roof from their house – once these thatched roof fires start going, they really go.

“The fire lads have done so well.”

A resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “We thought that somebody was burning something outside, like a bonfire.

“Thank God no-one was hurt and that it didn’t happen in the middle of the night.”

For advice about thatched roof properties visit dwfire.org.uk/ safety/.