THE first floor of a house in South Tawton was badly damaged following a fire which broke out in an upstairs bedroom. Two fire crews from Okehampton were called to the incident at 8pm on Saturday, January 7. Firefighters used four sets of breathing apparatus and one hose reel to put out the fire. Station officer Ian Donovan said the source of the fire was a paraffin heater and some clothing. He said the property had not been fitted with a smoke detector which meant the occupants were not aware of the fire at the earliest stage. He emphasised the importance to all homeowners of making sure they owned a working detector.
