Kitchen fire destroys house

A house on a farm in Shropshire has been almost completely destroyed after a fire ripped through the building.

More than 30 firefighters spent several hours tackling the blaze at Little Hall Farm, at Whitcott Keysett, near Clun.

The kitchen fire broke out at 11.15am yesterday. No-one was injured.

Firefighters were able to stop the fire spreading to the main farmhouse, which adjoined the building, and crews remained at the scene overnight to monitor the situation.

It is not yet known what caused the fire, which was visible from miles around, and a fire service investigation is likely to take several days as the remainder of the building has been deemed structurally unsafe.

The owners of the farm are believed to be on holiday. The alarm was raised by people staying in the smaller house.

Andy Johnson, area manager for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The cause of the fire is still under investigation and it will take us some time as the affected part of the property is quite severely affected. It is structurally unsound and it is going to be difficult to get crews in.

"The first crew which arrived was met with a fire which was going through the roof of the property, which is linked to the main three-storey farmhouse.

"The roof of the building has collapsed and there are exposed walls which might fall in. There are concerns about asbestos which we are dealing with on the site.

"We believe the fire started in a kitchen in the two-storey building and the whole building is gutted — there is not a lot left.

"We had 30 firefighters and a number of officers at the scene, and fortunately no-one was injured."