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Thatch roof of cottage 'fully alight' in village near Needham Market
The thatch cottage on fire in Battisford - Credit: Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service
Firefighters are tackling a thatch roof blaze that has broken out at a home near Needham Market.
Ten fire engines have been dispatched to the fire in Hascot Hill, in Battisford, off the B1078, shortly after 2pm today.
The roof was fully alight when firefighters arrived at the scene - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
Crews from as far away as Newmarket, Framlingham and Woodbridge have been called to the scene.
A Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed the fire was at a thatched cottage measuring at about 10m by 8m.
The thatch fire in Battisford, near Needham Market - Credit: Archant
The roof of the home was fully alight when firefighters arrived at the scene, the spokesman added.
Officers from Suffolk police have were called to assist with traffic control, with a number of road closures in the surrounding area put in place.
The roads have since reopened.
Firefighters battle the thatch fire in Battisford - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
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No injuries have been reported from the blaze and the occupants are safe, the fire service confirmed.
An eyewitness near the scene said the smoke billowing from the property could be seen as far as a mile away.
Smoke billowing from the cottage could be seen from a mile away - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
The witness also said fire engines had parked behind each other along the narrow village road leading up to the cottage.
Ian Mallett, incident commander for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, said outside the cottage at about 4pm: "When we attended the roof was fully involved and crews undertook salvage of the items inside whilst attempting to fight the fire.
Fire crews from across Suffolk have been called to the thatched cottage blaze in Battisford - Credit: Suffolk Fire and Rescue
"The roof is fully involved, which is going to mean significant damage to the property. Residents are safe and our firefighters activities are continuing and are likely to continue for some time.
Crews from across Suffolk were called to the scene - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
"We are in the process of downscaling the number of appliances that we have here - we have 10 fire appliances, a command unit and some other support vehicles here.
"That will happen in the next couple of hours so our fire service footprint at the scene will reduce, but we expect to be on site for a number of hours."
Firefighters battle a thatch fire in Battisford - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
At 5.30pm, Suffolk Fire and Rescue said on Twitter: "Crews from across Suffolk continue to tackle the fire involving a thatch cottage in Battisford.
"Firefighters continue damping down hot spots and small pockets of fire that remain while local road closures remain in place.
"We expect to be on scene well into the night."
There have been 23 vehicles from Fire and Rescue at the scene today.
