FIRE FIGHTERS from Okehampton and Chagford were among those fighting the blaze when a thatched roof fire spread along a terrace in Moretonhampstead. Okehampton station officer Ian Donovan acted as incident commander and later operations manager. He said his crew were called out at 2.30am on Tuesday. ?It was three shops and a house, all terraced and all with thatched roofs,? he said. ?We could see it for some considerable distance before we got to Moretonhampstead and when we got there we could see flames shooting from the roof.? He said his men prevented the fire from spreading and concentrated on salvage work, because the thatch could not be saved. Mr Donovan said the blaze was brought under control after about two hours, but crews remained at the scene for most of the following day. He said the incident became extremely dangerous when part of the structure collapsed. About 65 personnel and a total of eight pumping appliances were mobilised by fire control along with a water/foam carrier, aerial ladder platform, incident command vehicle, hose laying lorry and 4x4 vehicle. These appliances came from stations across Devon. Fire fighters from North Tawton and Hatherleigh were also mobilised, to provide cover in case of a second incident in the area. It has been a busy week for Okehampton?s fire fighters, who were called out five times on Friday. They attended two accidents on the A30 and a fire in the roof at Robert Wiseman Dairies, as well as two false alarms. They were also called out on Saturday and Sunday. l Fire fighters from across the area will be washing cars on Saturday, September 15, to raise money for the service?s benevolent fund. The Okehampton crew will be in the lower car park at Waitrose during the morning from 9am, offering a wash and wax for £3. The North Tawton crew will be in the car park at Bow Stores.