Major fire at Home Farm on Tumbleyhill Road at West Acre

Flames tore through the remote property at West Acre, near Swaffham, in the early hours of Friday. A man inside the property escaped unharmed.

Eight appliances, a water carrier and a control unit were sent to Home Farm, on Tumbleyhill Road, a tree-lined lane leading north from the village towards Great Massingham.

An appliance at the scene of the fire at West Acre (Image: Chris Bishop)

Crews from Massingham, Swaffham, Kings Lynn, Fakenham, Sandringham, Terrington, Downham Market, Dereham, Wymondham, Aylsham and Heacham were sent to the scene after the alarm was raised around midnight.

Norfolk fire service said personnel used breathing apparatus, along with main and hose reel jets to fight the fire, which at its height was raging on both the ground and first floors of the two-storey building.

Firefighters prevented it from spreading to a neighbouring house.

Eight appliances were sent to a fire at a farmhouse at West Acre (Image: Chris Bishop)

One woman at the scene said they did "an amazing job" but declined to comment further, while a man who lives at the house also did not wish to speak about the fire.

People living near the incident were warned to keep their windows closed because of smoke.

Norfolk fire service said the "stop" message, confirming the fire was extinguished, was received by the control room at 10.55am.

The farmhouse at West Acre after the fire (Image: Chris Bishop)

A thermal imaging camera was deployed to check the building for hot spots which could re-ignite.

A fire service spokesman said: "It was a large fire which has caused significant damage to the house – it was a domestic property in Tumbleyhill Road, West Acre. We were on the scene until just before 11am."

The ambulance service said it attended the incident but nobody was injured.

Parts of the property were cordoned off after the blaze (Image: Chris Bishop)

The cause of the blaze is unknown. An investigation is under way to try to establish how it started. 

Parts of the house are believed to date back to the 16th or 17th century, according to Norfolk Heritage Explorer.