FIRECREWS from Swindon helped avoid disaster and saved a thatched cottage from being destroyed by a blaze.

Twelve fire engines were called to a detached thatch cottage in Devizes, on Windsor Drive, at 12.23pm on Monday.

The crew from Swindon provided the aerial ladder platform which played a part in allowing crews to make breaks in the thatch either side of the chimney, preventing the fire spreading throughout the whole roof.

The team effort paid off, it meant many of the occupants' possessions inside the property were saved, and four cats were rescued from the blaze.

Volunteers from the British Red Cross emergency response team, which is based at the central Swindon fire station on Drove Road, attended the scene to support the occupants of the cottage.

Despite the response it took until 4pm for the fire to be completely put out. Previous thatched roof fires in the past have lasted days.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is not believed to have started accidentally.