Crews called to tackle chimney fire in Thatcham

Firefighters from Newbury spent almost five hours at the scene

FIRE crews were called to tackle a chimney blaze that spread to the roof of a property in Mill Lane, Thatcham, last night (Friday).

But thanks to the quick-thinking actions of firefighters, fortunately none of the occupants were hurt.

Two fire engines from Newbury attended the scene at around 8pm and spent almost five hours there

Station manager Robin Jordan admitted it "could have been a very different story" if they hadn't managed to locate the source of the problem as quickly as they did.

Mr Jordan said the fire started when a wood burner was lit and the flue became "super heated", with a wasp nest in the loft "potentially adding to problem."

He added that smoke was percolating out of the roof tiles.

They managed to remove the tiles and stripped the flue liner out to sort the problem before it escalated any further.

He said: "Thankfully we managed to nip it in the bud pretty quickly. It was something that needed thought and at the time caused some concern.

"It was actually the son who alerted his father, who then called us out.

"Had he not, it could have been a very different story."

He added: "Our Blue Watch crew worked hard in difficult conditions."

Mr Jordan advised that people check their lofts for wasps nests and have their chimney swept regularly to avoid this type of incident from occuring.