FIRE crews from Burnham were called to battle a raging fire near North Petherton in the early hours of last Friday morning (April 10).
The firefighters were joined by crews from across Somerset as they tackled the blaze at Coxhill Farmhouse.
By the time the fire service arrived on scene the thatched cottage was engulfed in flames which could be seen by motorists on the M5 motoroway.
Damaris Reading, who lives next door at Liftknocker Cottage, described how she was woken up by another neighbour after the fire had taken hold.
She said: “We heard someone banging our door and shouting ‘There’s a fire next door – get out’. “We rushed outside and saw the whole thing in flames. The whole of our house was lit up – we were just in shock.
“There was nothing we could do but just watch.” Firefighters could not save the property which was burnt to the ground.
Investigators at the scene have since determined that the fire was started deliberately.
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