Serious house fire at Shipston under Brailles

Fire crews from Warwickshire and Oxfordshire County Councils Fire and Rescue Services were called to a property in Shipston under Brailles, Warwickshire when a serious fire broke out at around 5am on Monday 9 January 2012.

On arrival, crews were faced with a fire threatening to spread to several outbuildings from a cottage next to the Manor House. Teams of firefighters in breathing apparatus and using high pressure hose were able to create a break and then attack the main body of the fire to prevent it developing further.

Five fire engines form Stratford, Shipston and Chipping Norton were at the scene for around two and a half hours tackling the blaze and performing salvage work. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue were in overall command and Oxfordshire sent two fire engines in support.

Station Manager Chris Wilson of Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue said "It was a difficult incident. The house construction contained a lot of wood and this meant the fire took hold early on. It began to spread to adjacent property and looked like it might go through to the manor at one point. The quick response of Warwickshire Fire and Rescue and the sustained weight of attack on the fire by all of the crews meant we could contain it and eventually extinguish the fire".

A resident who tackled the fire in its early stages suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene by paramedics from Warwickshire Ambulance Service.

The fire was brought under control by around 6am and crews remained on scene checking that all of the remaining pockets and embers of fire were dealt with fully whilst the investigation into the cause began.