FIRE crews from West Devon stations reacted swiftly to prevent a fire escalating at Hatherleigh Market on Wednesday morning. The fire broke out in a wooden storage shed full of books at about 6.40am. Firecrews from Hatherleigh and Okehampton were mobilised and on arrival they found smoke and flames issuing from the building. They requested further support. A water foam carrier from Barnstaple was mobilised along with the incident command vehicle from Ilfracombe. Ten firefighters with breathing apparatus battled with the fire and had it under control by 8am. The storage shed was severely damaged and there was some damage to an area of the main building's roof. A fire service spokesman said the different crews worked hard and well together, dealing with the fire swiftly. He added that the blaze was being investigated. Hatherleigh Market chief auctioneer Andrew Varney said: 'No-one was hurt and we're trying to suss out the extent of the damage but it doesn't appear to be to serious.'
