16 Nov 2012
A large fire recently broke out at an Elizabethan stately home where the entire roof and half of the first floor were ablaze.
Dozens of fire crew were fighting the flames at the grade I listed four storey Sydenham House in Okehampton, Devon.
At one point, firefighters had to get out of the building because of fears it would collapse.
A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said water from a river and lake next to the house had to be used to fight the blaze.
The building was evacuated and everyone was accounted for following the incident.
The fire is not thought to have spread to the stately home’s staff cottages, despite the damage it caused to the main property.
Copyright Press Association 2012