Public urged to halt garden bonfires after blaze

The listed thatched home at Bowden Hill near Lacock had 55 firefighters working on it at one stage

Firefighters are urging people to take garden waste to a recycling centre this summer after a Grade II listed building was nearly destroyed by flying embers from a bonfire.

The thatched home at Bowden Hill near Lacock, Wiltshire, caught fire on Monday after the owners of the property lost control of the bonfire, which then set light to a hedge.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) deployed 55 firefighters and 13 engines at the peak of the blaze, and managed to save the building's ground floor.

DWFRS said the blaze "highlights how easily bonfires can get out of control, especially during a prolonged spell of dry weather".

It added: "Please avoid having bonfires to burn your garden waste and consider taking it to your local recycling centre instead."

The service has also issued guidance to help avoid a repeat incident, including keeping any bonfire well away from buildings, fences, trees and garden structures, having a garden hose to hand, and not lighting a bonfire on a windy day in case it flares up more than expected.

Homeowner Beth Collins told the BBC that firefighters had gone "above and beyond" when tackling the blaze and had managed to save most of the family's possessions.

She said the bonfire had gotten out of control so quickly "you don't have much time to think about it".

"You think where is all that smoke, where are all those flames from? I thought it was just a fire in the garden. Someone came hurtling down the road and said 'your thatch is on fire'," she said.