Rodents to blame as fire destroys isolated farmhouse

AN isolated farmhouse was destroyed in a fire this afternoon which is thought to have been caused by mice or rats.
The rodents had gnawed through electrical wiring which was then thought to have shorted and started a blaze in the roof of the building.
The fire in Raddington, between Skilgate and Chipstable, was spotted at 2.30 pm, and initially firefighters attended from Wiveliscombe, Dulverton, and Wellington.
Heavy smoke was issuing from the roof when the fire brigade arrived and the scale of the incident was quickly established.
Two more fire engines were called from Tiverton, together with a command support unit from Ilminster and an incident support unit from Taunton, making a total of seven appliances.
The fire crews took several hours fighting the fire externally with three main jets, two hose reel jets, and six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.
They also carried out salvage work.
The incident was scaled down to three pumps shortly after 7 pm and the blaze was finally extinguished some time later.
More than three-quarters of the farmhouse was destroyed by the fire and most of the remainder was damaged by water used to fight it.
Illustrative photo.

Faulty tumble drier sparks early morning blaze

AN electrical fault in a tumble drier is believed to have caused an early morning fire which broke out in a house in Langley Marsh, near Wiveliscombe.
The blaze happened in a utility area of the property at about 5 am on Monday, December 17.
Two fire engines were called to the incident from the Wiveliscombe and Wellington stations and firefighters used breathing apparatus to enter the house and find the source of the blaze.
The fire was then extinguished using one hose reel jet.

Rotary's Exmoor Moonraker teams raise £10,000 for children's hospice

NEARLY 350 walkers in 63 teams braved the elements in the annual Moonraker sponsored night walk on Exmoor to raise money for the Children’s Hospice South West and other Rotary charities.
The teams, which were drawn from across Taunton Vale, the Quantocks, West Somerset, and East Devon, walked one of three routes in poor conditions including continuous drizzle and thick fog in places, between Wimbleball Lake and Luxborough.
A team of more than 50 members of Taunton Vale Rotary Club, and the Inner Wheel, which organised the event, ensured the walkers were well-equipped, marshalled, checked on route, and fed in the middle of the night.
In addition, search and rescue facilities and four minibuses ensured all walkers were successfully returned to the base camp – with the last team finishing the course at 4.30 am.
The walkers again proved to be enthusiastic and up for the annual Moonraker Challenge, which it is anticipated will raise more than £10,000 for the Children’s Hospice South West.
The majority of the walkers were already looking forward to next year’s Moonraker event.
David Montgomery, president of Taunton Vale Rotary Club, which has members from Watchet and Wiveliscombe and several surrounding towns and villages such as Bampton and Wellington, praised the walkers for their efforts on the night and for the amount of sponsorship raised on behalf of the children’s hospice.
He also thanked all the marshals and support teams, as well as the local farmers and residents, for their help in making Moonraker a big success on the night.
This year’s winners were: The Challenge Walk (15 miles) – Crowcombe Stalkers; The Standard Walk (13 miles) – The Saints; The Short Walk (7.5 miles) – Rokin Robins.

• Our photographs show (top) the Challenge Walk winning team the Crowcombe Stalkers, (middle) The Saints team who won the Standard Walk, and (bottom) members of the Rokin Robins team who won the Short Walk. Photos submitted.