THE purpose made joinery manufacturers Artisan Projects Ltd, of Harris Yard, Pottery Road, Bovey Tracey was operating as normal following a fire in the building on Wednesday afternoon.

A member of staff alerted the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service that there was a fire within an extractor fan, and minutes later confirmed that it had started to spread to the building.

Three fire appliances from Ashburton and Newton Abbot were sent to the scene and on arrival the crews confirmed the fire had spread to sandwich panels within the 10m x 20m joinery workshop.

The firefighters set to work cutting the panel away to reveal the extent of the fire and extinguishing it by using four breathing apparatus, three hose reel jets, a covering jet, safety jet, thermal imaging camera and small tools.

They had received the call at 2.13pm and just over an hour later confirmed they were making steady progress, cutting away and damping down. By 3.49pm it had been brought under control.

A Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the fire had remained within the extraction system, causing 20 per cent fire damage and ten per cent smoke damage.

No-one was injured and the crews returned later in the evening and carried out a precautionary inspection.

He added that the fire had started accidentally.