VILLAGERS have been thanked for their patience and co-operation as crews tackled a fire at a thatched property in Ilton.

The fire service was called to the fire at the two-storey house on Church Road yesterday (December 1) at 10.20am. 

Everybody who was inside the property was evacuated and there have been no reported injuries.

Firefighters remained at the scene throughout the day, supported by the police, and overnight to dampen the house down and reduce the risk of the fire escalating.

At the height of the fire, there were 19 fire engines in attendance from stations across Somerset and Devon, including Chard, Ilminster and Street.  

Crews tackled the blaze using breathing apparatus, one fog spike and a thatching lance to create a fire break. 

A smoke curtain was used to stop fire and smoke from spreading to other parts of the property. 

Power was switched off in the surrounding area while the incident was dealt with. It was restored between 5pm and 7pm to let resident heat their homes and cook.

Ilton Parish Council opened the village hall and switched the heating on to provide shelter to people affected the by power outage. 

In an update issued this morning, the fire service said: “Crews have been on scene overnight damping down areas to stop the fire escalating again.

“We currently have one appliance at the scene continuing to deal with hotspots. Agencies have restored power to neighbouring properties.

“Unfortunately, parts of the building have become unstable and it's important that people remain a safe distance from the property. 

“We want to say a huge thank you to local residents for their patience and co-operation during this long and challenging incident.

“We also want to thank our partner agencies who have been working with us to tackle the incident and make sure people are safe and looked after. 

“We'll continue a presence on site to stop any further escalation.”