RELIEF fire crews were drafted in from Newton Abbot to tackle a chimney fire in Bickington which raged through the night.

Some 20 firefighters, including an aerial platform crew from Torquay, initially responded to the blaze at Coombe Farm after the alarm was raised before 11pm last night.

Back-up teams were still at the scene this morning to deal with the fire which a brigade spokesman admitted was ‘very difficult.’

Ashburton and Bovey Tracey crews were the first on scene followed by the specialist aerial team from Torquay.

At 3.30am a Newton Abbot crew was called in to relieve their colleagues and monitor the tricky blaze with a thermal imaging camera.

The spokesman said firefighters were not able to rod the chimney from the ground floor, instead using two ladders and two hosereel jets to overcome the flames.

They were still at the location - between Bethelcombe Cross and Lee Cross - at 9.30am today.

‘Crews have been at the property all night trying to extinguish the fire. The fire has been contained within the chimney - but there are hot-spots still smouldering in the loft space of the structure which we need to monitor,’ said the spokesman.