River Cottage Fire Leaves Hugh Fearnley House Severely Damaged

A serious fire has "severely damaged" River Cottage in Axminster, Devon - the home of celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's popular television series. The blaze, which happened at around 10pm on Tuesday (February 7, 2012), left the River Cottage team "shocked and upset", according to the Press Association.

Fearnley-Whittingstall, one of the most popular food presenters in the UK, is away filming and is therefore yet to find out about the fire, a spokesman said. Emergency services including the police and fire crews were quickly on-site after the building caught fire, with 80 fire-fighters attempting to fight the blaze. It was eventually brought under-control after three hours. A spokesman for River Cottage said, "Late last night a serious fire severely damaged the main barn at River Cottage Park Farm headquarters in Axminster.Thankfully, no people, or animals, were hurt. The River Cottage team are dealing with the damage today and are shocked and upset". It is still not clear what caused the fire.

A popular venue in the local area - River Cottage's Canteen and Deli were unaffected by the fire and remain open to the public. However, the cookery school courses at Park Farm will not be running for the time being. A spokesman added, "Anyone booked on a course will be contacted by the River Cottage events team as soon as possible"