Man dies in Dulverton flats blaze

A MAN in his 50s has died in a ferocious fire which ripped through a block of flats in Dulverton during the night.
Fire and rescue crews found the man in a top floor flat at Herbert House, on the corner of Amory Road and Barns Close West after being alerted shortly before 3 am today (Tuesday, February 19).
Dulverton firefighters, who were first on the scene, managed to save a second man who was trapped in another top floor flat.
Two other people, a man and a woman with a 12-year-old dog named Shadow, were able to escape by themselves from ground floor flats.
Up to 35 fire and rescue personnel were involved in battling the blaze at its height, with crews attending from Dulverton, Wiveliscombe, Bampton, and Tiverton, together with two hydraulic platforms from Taunton and Bridgwater, a command support unit from Wiveliscombe, and an incident support unit from Taunton.
The fire quickly took hold of the 40 feet by 65 feet building and was so severe that firemen had to strip the roof of tiles in order to use a hose reel jet to reach hotspots inside.

Herbert House was converted from a former shop premises about 11 years ago, and was named after Auberon Herbert, who had owned the Pixton estate on which the housing estate was built.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue group manager Paul Godwin confirmed ‘one person has died’ in what he described as ‘a severe fire’.
Fire investigations officers were working with police forensic teams and scenes of crime officers who began examining the site when it became daylight.
A post mortem is due to be held to determine a cause of death of the man who died, whose name has not yet been released.

Witness appeal after spate of car crashes leaves one driver critically ill

A SERIES of car crashes across two days on West Somerset roads left a total of six people trapped in wreckage.
The most serious incident occurred at about 6.20 pm on Tuesday, November 27, when a Citroen Saxo and a Mini One travelling in opposite directions collided on the A396 between Dunster and Timberscombe, close to Kittswell Farm.
Police closed the road until 12.30 am on Wednesday, November 28.
Both car drivers were trapped in the wreckage and had to be released by fire and rescue crews using hydraulic cutting gear, a process which took more than an hour.
The driver of the Citroen, a man, suffered serious head injuries and was taken to Derriford Hospital, in Plymouth, where his condition was described as ‘critical’.
The Citroen had been travelling from the Tiverton direction toward Dunster and Mini was being driven from Dunster toward Timberscombe when the accident happened.
Two fire crews from Minehead and a rescue tender from Taunton attended the incident.
Police later appealed for any witnesses to the collision, or anybody else with information about it, to contact the force’s collision investigation unit on 0845 4567000.
Or they could call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where they do not have to give a name but could receive a reward.
The secure Crimestoppers contact form could also be used, which can be found on the internet at https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/crimestoppers/ContactForm.aspx.
Another serious incident occurred later on Tuesday, when a vehicle careered off the A39 and into a field between Williton and West Quantoxhead.
A man and a woman were trapped in the wreckage and it took fire and rescue crews working with hydraulic cutting equipment nearly two-and-a-half hours to free the pair.
Both casualties then had to be individually carried on boards in a fire service Land Rover across a field to waiting ambulances before they could be taken to hospital.
Two fire engines from Williton and a rescue tender from Taunton attended the scene of the accident, which happened a few minutes before midnight.
No other vehicle was involved in the crash.
Previously, on Monday, November 26, two people were reported trapped in a crash between two vehicles on the A39 at Carhampton.
It happened at almost 6.30 pm but when rescue services arrived on the scene the two casualties had already been freed from the damaged vehicles.
One fire engine from the Minehead station and a rescue tender from Taunton attended the incident and the crews made both vehicles safe and assisted police with lighting and removing debris from the road.