A FAMILY – including three children – escaped unharmed after fire ravaged their Watchet home on Wednesday.

Dozens of firefighters were drafted in to tackle the blaze at the end terrace three-storey house in Woollams Place.

The alarm is believed to have been raised by the tenant Ian Mitcham just before 9pm and by 10.40pm a total of five engines were at the scene, along with an incident command unit from Wiveliscombe.

Crews were working to bring the incident under control until just after 4.30am the following morning.

Mr Mitcham, who runs a bicycle repair business, was treated for smoke inhalation by an ambulance crew.

He was too upset to speak in detail yesterday (Thursday) but told the Free Press that everyone had got out of the building safely and no one was injured.

A spokesman for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the fire had started in a workshop on the ground floor of the property and had spread through the cavity wall to the first floor and to the insulation.

“Luckily no one had to be rescued as the father had got all the children out before we arrived,” he said.

“The cause was accidental and we believe it involved a battery charger.”

Two crews from Williton were the first called out but quickly sent for back-up.

Two engines from Minehead and another from Porlock were sent to the scene.

At one point the intensity of the heat and smoke forced incident commanders to withdraw breathing apparatus teams from the first floor to work at lower ground level.

And Western Power also had to be called out to disconnect electricity supplies outside the property.

The spokesman said breathing apparatus teams had initially made slow progress with the fire and tried to limit the spread to the adjoining property.

By 1.30am incident commanders had requested relief crews from Nether Stowey, Bridgwater and Taunton and firefighters were still at work, fearing the fire had got into the cavity walls.

They began stripping away timber joists and wall linings and just before 3am the blaze was finally brought under control.

Just under half the property was damaged by fire but almost the entire building suffered smoke and heat damage.

In addition to breathing apparatus, firefighters used compressed air foam, jets, thermal image cameras and ventilation fans.

Woollams Place, a purpose-built development mainly consisting of flats, was constructed around seven years ago.