House destroyed by blaze (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

House destroyed by blaze

2:31pm Friday 18th August 2006 in Marlborough By Nigel Kerton

A COUPLE returned to their Chiseldon home to find fire fighters tackling a blaze in the bedrooms.

Fire fighters wore breathing apparatus to search the blazing bedrooms of a house fearing people were trapped inside.

Four pumps and an aerial platform were sent to the blaze at Norris Close shortly before 3pm on Thursday.

Crews found the house well alight when they arrived and could see the plume of smoke for a considerable distance as they headed into the village.

Swindon fire station manager Alan Harper said it was believed the fire began in a bedroom on the first floor.

The crew on the first fire engine to arrive realised the severity of the blaze and called for back-up.

Six fire fighters donned breathing gear to carry out a fingertip search of the upper floor in dense smoke.