Market Lavington family so lucky
1:00pm Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Latest News By Lewis Cowen
A family were forced to flee their home after a car burst into flames and set it alight in the early hours of the morning.
Swift action by police and firefighters saved Bouverie Lodge in Market Lavington from total destruction after the mystery blaze in the early hours of Sunday.
A passing police patrol noticed flames coming from a Saab convertible parked beside the house. They alerted the occupants who fled the blaze.
Pip Flowers, commander of Devizes fire station, was among the first on the scene. He said: “We believe the fire started in the car that was parked in the carport at the side of the house. We had a lot of difficulty in putting the car out. We used two tanks of water on it and it was still burning and there was some concern about having enough water to dowse the flames that had spread to the house.”
One fire engine from Devizes was joined by a second but, as the ferocity of the blaze increased, more were called for.
At the height of the operation there were six at the scene, an aerial appliance and another five supporting vehicles.
Meanwhile the fire had enveloped the carport and spread to the roof of the building. Firefighters fought to stop the blaze from spreading to the inside of the house by removing roof tiles.
Although the damage to the Victorian house looks severe, it could have been a lot worse, said Mr Flowers.
“The damage is mainly to the roof but the first floor is intact, though there is some water and smoke damage,” he said.
“When power is restored to the extension at the back, the occupants will be able to live there while repairs are done.”
The seven occupants of the house had been evacuated by the time the fire service arrived and no one was hurt. The owners have asked not to be identified.
The road between the scene of the fire and the A360 at Black Dog crossroads was closed for six hours while the operation was in progress.
Fire officers remained there for the rest of Sunday.
The cause of the blaze is being investigated.
