A BLAZE that caused thousands of pounds of damage to a property at Lytchett Matravers was caused by hot chimney embers igniting the thatched roof, firefighters say.

Fifteen fire crews - some 80 firefighters - were called to the large fire at the thatched property along Eddy Green Road on Wednesday night.

Dorset Fire & Rescue Service, Dorset Police and South West Ambulance Service attended the drama, which unfolded around 7pm.

The roof of the property was destroyed in the incident, but no-one was injured and fire crews managed to stop the blaze spreading to the rest of the building.

Yesterday, the owners of the property said they were still too emotional to speak to the Daily Echo.

Meanwhile, neighbours described the fire as “a tragedy” and said their thoughts were with the people who lived there.

A DFRS spokesman said: “Fire crews used breathing apparatus and compressed air foam, which is designed to cool the thatch down.

“Although they had to rip all the thatch off the roof, they did manage to salvage all items of furniture and stop the fire spreading from the roof to the house.”

Fire crews from Poole, Wareham, Hamworthy, Bere Regis, Westbourne, Springbourne, Wimborne, Swanage, Redhill Park, Blandford, Ferndown and Christchurch.

Police maintained a strict cordon of the immediate area while firefighters tackled the blaze.

During the incident, Lytchett Matravers resident Richard Brown said: “We saw a number of fire engines go past us. We were quite nosy so decided to drive around and see what was going on.

“Middle Road was as close as we could get. The back of the property was obscured by trees, but the whole of Eddy Green Road was full of fire appliances.

“We were there at around 8.20pm and there were no visible flames then, but the fire was still smouldering in the roof.”

Firefighters eventually left the scene around 4am, yesterday, after remaining on site to check for any hotspots that could potentially reignite the roof.