AN historic Grade I Listed Elizabethan house in West Devon was devastated by a major fire last Wednesday.

Fifteen firecrews were called to deal with the incident at Sydenham House, near Chillaton at 4pm — the blaze was so severe the estate's lake was emptied by firefighters battling to get the fire under control.

The fire started in a first floor bedroom but the roof was well alight by the time the first crews arrived on the scene.

The roof and top floor were severely damaged by the blaze, while 70% of the lower floors were badly affected by water — eight jets were used at the height of the fire by crews from Okehampton, Tavistock, Launceston, Greenbank, Plympton, Yelverton, Princetown, Bere Alston, Ashburton, Hatherleigh, Crownhill, Bovey Tracey, Chagford, Holsworthy, Callington and others.

No-one was hurt in the incident, with work continuing through the night after the crews finally got the fire under control.

Crews from Okehampton were among thoe firefighters who helped to save thousands of pounds of valuable paintings and furnishings.

Station commander Ian Donovan, was a sector commander at the incident, and his team, were responsible for hosing down the roof at the front of the house and ensuring health and safety.

He told the Times: 'In incidents like this there is an awful lot going on at any time. What makes this one unusual is that it involves a Grade One Listed building which has great historical value.

'What was good was that we were able to salvage many valuable items, such as paintings, china and carpets, that otherwise might have been destroyed.'

SO Donovan added that the owners of Sydenham House, Graeme and Hilary Hart, had expressed their gratitude for the efforts of the all the firefighters who attended to Lee Howell, the chief officer of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, and Mark Healey, the chairman of its fire authority, who visited the scene.

Members of Tavistock Salvation Army were called to man the Salvation Army emergency canteen, to help feed the 100 firemen involved in the operation.

The 16th century Sydenham House had been lovingly restored by Mr and Mrs Hart, who have lived there since 1992 with their family. The 1,200-acre estate runs a popular shoot which attracts enthusiasts from all over the country.

Mr Hart said the fire was 'tragic'.

'It couldn't have been more severe,' he said.

Conservation experts from English Heritage and West Devon Borough Council have visited Sydenham in the aftermath of the fire to assess the scale of the damage.

Adam Fox-Edwards, owner of the Arundell Arms at Lifton and friend of the Hart family, said Sydenham House was 'beautiful' and that the Harts had done incredible work on the historic building.

'It wasn't one of those stately homes that are sat in aspic — it was a lovely, living, family home,' he said, paying tribute to Mr Hart's determination and spirit.

'Only yesterday, when the house was still smoking, he was saying "I think we could still do the shoot on Monday — it's only the house that's burned down, not the woods".'

ABOVE:?Crews direct jets of water into the blazing house.

Picture by Ian Snell

LEFT:?Damping down the morning after the fire.

Picture by James Bird