Firefighters remain on scene of thatched roof blaze as road still closed

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service was originally called out to the fire at 8.06pm on Monday.

A total of 26 appliances – from Thetford, Stowmarket, Haverhill, Wickhambrook, Bury St Edmunds, Elmswell, Ixworth, Brandon, Mildenhall and Newmarket – were called to tackle the blaze.

An investigation into the cause of the fire will take place today (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown)

The road remains closed while investigations are carried out by the fire service (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown)

The roof of the home has been completely destroyed as a result of the fire.

All persons in the two-storey property are accounted for and crews are currently still dampening down the fire.

Incident commander and group manager Wil Tel said due to the amount of the smoke coming off the property firefighters had to close the road.

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He added: "We are now at the phase of the incident where we are looking to scale things down but we will have a number of appliances remaining on site overnight and in the morning we will be working with the key partners to investigate the cause of the fire.

"My thanks go out to the nearby residents who were very quick to assist with the salvaging of key items.

"Power has been isolated to the key properties in the area and we are working with our partners at UK Power Network to restore those as quickly as possible."

A spokesman for the fire service confirmed that the owners of the home found alternative accommodation last night.

He added: "The road will remain closed until a structural engineer attends the scene to investigate any structural damage to the house.

"An investigation into the cause of the fire will also take place this morning."

People are still being asked to avoid the area while emergency services deal with the incident.

An aerial appliance was used at the scene of the home this morning as firefighters continued to work on cooling hotspots inside the home.

A 'stop' call was made by Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service at 7.30am today.

Fire crews have worked throughout the night to tackle a huge thatched roof blaze in Hengrave, with nearby roads remaining shut this morning (Image: Archant)

Emergency services are currently still at the scene (Image: Archant)