A MAN has been left temporarily homeless after fire swept through his property in Newton Abbot yesterday evening.

It’s thought an electrical fault in an upstairs bedroom may have caused the blaze in Greenaway Road which caused smoke, water and heat damage to the rest of the semi-detached house.

Two fire crews from the town arrived at the scene just before 7pm to see flames and large plumes of smoke billowing from the address off Ashburton Road.

Four sets of breathing gear were worn by firefighters who managed to stop the flames spreading through the roof to the adjoining home.

The bedroom suffered extensive damage while the ravages inflicted on the rest of the home rendered it uninhabitable.

The male occupant, who has not been named, was put up overnight at a hotel in Torquay while arrangements were made to find him alternative accommodation.

Fire chiefs said they received numerous 999 calls about the blaze, smoke from which could be seen over extensive areas of the town.

Incident commander Rob Barr confirmed that efforts to stop the flames spreading through the roof to next door were successful.

Two hosereel jets together with a pair of 45ml jets and a safety jet were used to tackle the incident.

Firefighters spent more than two hours at the scene where a thermal imaging camera and high-pressure ventilation fan were used to deal with the aftermath.

Mr Barr said the fire was being treated as accidental. The cause was unknown, but it was thought an electrical fault may have been to blame.

He was anxious to thank a neighbour who, on a hot evening, offered refreshments to his battle-weary crews in the form of cakes and teas.

‘It was much appreciated,’ said Mr Barr who said such kindnesses were now sadly very much a thing of the past.

The Greenaway Road drama came after a particularly busy week for the town’s firefighters who dealt with some 23 shouts from Monday to last Sunday – about double the usual tally of call-outs.