A COTTAGE has been partially gutted after fire ravaged through a first floor bedroom.The blaze broke out at a detached home in Main Road, Hemingstone, near Ipswich, at 2pm yesterday, while the occupants were out.
A COTTAGE has been partially gutted after fire ravaged through a first floor bedroom.
The blaze broke out at a detached home in Main Road, Hemingstone, near Ipswich, at 2pm yesterday, while the occupants were out.
The fire is believed to have started in a first floor bedroom and involved 10% of the roof but firefighters were unable to confirm how it started yesterday.
Neighbours are believed to have spotted flames coming out of a back window and attempted to break into the property to ensure no one was inside.
The fire service was contacted and fire engines from Needham Market, Ipswich, Felixstowe and Debenham attended.
Assistant divisional officer Karl Rolfe, of Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It was a well established fire on the first floor.
“It was well alight on our arrival. The first crew requested assistance from the breathing apparatus team.
“We are surveying with a thermal imaging camera to deal with the remaining heat spots. We are protecting the contents of the house as much as we can by salvaging all of the owner's property.
“The initial crews managed to stop the fire being even more serious than it was by quick intervention in the right place.
“There is quite a lot of damage in the room of origin and the rest is smoke damage. The owners were not present.
“At the moment, we do not know how it started. We are still making the building safe. As soon as it is safe we will conduct an investigation.”
Mr Rolfe added: “Firefighters are trained specifically to deal with compartment fires and they have respiratory protective equipment. The additional hazards came from electricity supplies in the house, which we have disconnected.
“Structurally, the house remains sound but there is substantial smoke damage and significant damage to the first floor.”
Efforts to salvage as many possessions as possible were hampered by the pouring rain.
Firefighters erected a large inflatable tent in order to store the property and keep it dry. The fire was eventually put out at 3.15pm.
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