A brother and sister have been left heartbroken after their Dartmoor business was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The blaze gutted The Pet Carpenter’s premises on the Old English Industrial Estate, Yelverton.

Eight fire crews attended the blaze at its height.

The business, which employs seven, has lost everything in the fire, including customers’ bespoke handcrafted furniture and all the tools and equipment.

Harry Glover, who went to school at Tavistock College, set up the business making pet furniture in July 2020.

His sister Gemma does the marketing for the business.

A fund has been set up to help the family and their staff at https://gofund.me/9495ecc5

Gemma said: ‘We would like to thank the fire service, police, the local community and our amazing team for their assistance, help and offers of support at this difficult time. We are working with the police and fire service to ascertain the cause of the fire which started in the building next to us and discussing our options with regard to clear up and rebuilding. Our biggest priority will be to fulfil orders already placed and contacting all our customers that will be affected.’

She said they had been buoyed up by people’s ‘comments, support and love’ which were ‘motivation enough’ to soldier on.

‘These are pretty devastating and heartbreaking times but we are determined to see this challenge through,’ she said.

She added: ‘We have got insurance, but there is a lot to go through for that. Harry has a young family, a toddler and a baby on the way in January and a wife and we have got a team. There are seven of us in total and it is about looking after them as much as we can.

’Navigating these times will be a challenge. There is a lot to figure out.’

She said a neighbour alerted the fire service to the blaze which started in a neighbouring unit on the industrial estate on the Princetown Road.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.