CREDITON firefighters who fought a serious flat fire in Crediton on Saturday, June 4, have been praised for their swift actions and kindness.

Rachael Peters, who lived in the flat below where the fire took hold in East Street, Crediton, said that the firefighters fought hard to bring the fire under control and thanked them for covering items within her flat with plastic sheeting to prevent water damage.

She rang Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, after hearing a loud noise upstairs, at about 6.05pm.

Crews were quickly on the scene and found that the fire was well developed.

Large plumes of smoke were rising from the building and billowing up East Street into Union Road.

Six fire crews, from Crediton, Danes Castle and Middlemoor in Exeter, Exmouth and Honiton attended along with an aerial ladder platform and the Incident Command Unit from Honiton.

Firefighters used 10 sets of breathing apparatus, one 135 ladder, one 105 ladder and small tools to put out the fire.

Two thermal imaging cameras were used to check that the fire was out.

The aerial ladder platform operated from within the premises of Crediton Dairy.

The A377 was closed to traffic near the scene for several hours to enable fire crews to fight the fire and also afterwards as investigation works continued.

Reporting from the scene during the evening, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service Group Manager Matt Herdman, said: “It is a residential flat fire with no persons involved or injured.

“We currently have six appliances and a turntable here.

“Fire crews are exposing roof timbers to confirm that the fire is out and we have fire investigation officers working on establishing a cause.

“At the moment we have no other information on that.

“We are aware of the importance of local roads in the area but ask that members of the public please avoid the area for the next few hours.”

Nobody was in the upstairs flat where the fire took hold at the time it started.

The fire is believed to have started as the result of a make-up mirror in a window reflecting onto items inside the premises.

The first floor flat and roof void was 80 per cent damaged by the fire and the ground floor flat was 50 per cent damaged by fire and water damage.

Firefighters remained at the scene until the early hours of Sunday, June 5.