AN elderly couple - including a disabled man - escaped unhurt after their bungalow home was badly damaged in a fire on Monday.

At least a dozen appliances were called to the incident in Butts Way, Milverton, close to the village recreation ground, at about 11am.

Firefighters discovered the blaze had taken hold in the roof and first floor of the detached building.

At its height, units from Wiveliscombe, Taunton, Wellington, Bampton, Bridgwater, Williton, Dulverton and Yeovil were drafted in to help, along with a catering and welfare unit from Burnham-on-Sea.

Crews used a range of specialist equipment, including an aerial ladder platform, to strip off the roof tiles in a bid to bring the fire under control.

Police, an ambulance crew and the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service's HART unit (Hazardous Area Response Team) were also on site.

A DSFRS spokesman said the incident was scaled back later in the day, with relief crews from Witheridge and Crewkerne called in to help out.

Investigations into the cause are ongoing.

Crews from Wiveliscombe and Wellington were called back to the property on Wednesday morning following reports that areas of the building were smoking and smouldering.

Firefighters used a hose reel jet to dampen down any hotspots in the roof void and also used a thermal imaging camera to check the fire was completely out.