Fire crews thank residents for help tackling thatch roof blaze near Peterborough

More than 40 firefighters, including crews from Dogsthorpe, Stanground, Yaxley, the Peterborough Volunteers Fire Brigade, Thorney, Huntingdon, Wisbech and Chatteris attended the cottage in High Street, Castor.

They were called at 4:39pm and were later joined by the south roaming fire engine, the Multistar aerial appliance from Stanground, the water carrier from Ramsey, the incident command unit from Huntingdon, along with crews from Market Deeping and Stamford.

They arrived to find the fire, which started in the bedroom of the house, had spread to around a third of the thatch roof.

Wearing breathing apparatus, firefighters extinguished the blaze using hose reels and jets.

Their efforts were aided by villagers, who rallied round and helped the owners rescue as many of their possessions as they could.

They also provided firefighters with food and lent them their wheelbarrows, to help them transport the large amounts of thatch that was being removed from the roof.

This was of great importance given that the tight streets made it very difficult for fire crews to get their resources close enough to the house.

One resident described how the emergency services had to work hard to keep the area clear as many onlookers gathered.

Another praised the bravery and calmness of the emergency services in directing traffic around the affected area and ensuring those living close by were moved to safety.

They also saw neighbours running towards the property to help out and the community support was also wvident with the village’s Facebook page flooded with offers of help for the family affected since the weekend.

Crews made inspections throughout the night and in the morning to ensure the fire was fully out and the area was safe before leaving.

They also confirmed that the cause of the fire was accidental.

Group Commander Wayne Swales, the officer in charge of the incident, said: “Crews worked extremely hard throughout the evening to contain the fire and stop it from spreading to the rest of the roof.

“Fires spread through thatch roofs very quickly, so the crews had to take early actions and put in fire breaks to prevent the spread.

“Due to the location of the property, access was also challenging. The local residents helped immensely by providing wheelbarrows to help move the straw from the roof to allow the crews the space to tackle the fire.

“Thank you very much to all those that helped us out, it is very much appreciated and certainly played a key part in saving the house.”