Fire crews damp down fire-damaged cottages

Fire crews have spent the night tackling a blaze which severely damaged a row of historic thatched cottages in a Devon town. Six properties have been damaged by the fire in Crediton which started at about lunchtime on Thursday. At its height, about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze in Mill Street, a spokesman for Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said. Firefighters were damping down at the scene of the fire early on Friday.

The fire took hold in an historic part of the town known locally as the traditional birthplace of St Boniface. There have been no reports of any injuries. The fire affected a row of five thatched cottages before spreading to a sixth property.