Overnight blaze at thatched Devon pub believed to be deliberate

Firefighters from across South Devon were called to tackle a blaze at The Cleave Inn public house in Lustleigh in the early hours of Sunday morning (October 19).

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it received reports of a fire in a storeroom attached to the building shortly after 2am.

Three fire engines were initially sent to the scene, but when it was confirmed that the adjoining property had a thatched roof, a further five fire engines, along with an aerial ladder platform and a water bowser, were mobilised as a precaution.

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Crews from Torquay, Ashburton, Bovey Tracey, Buckfastleigh, Chagford, Moretonhampstead, Newton Abbot, Totnes and Middlemoor attended.

Firefighters used hose reel jets, breathing apparatus and foam jets to protect the thatched roof while extinguishing the flames. 

The storeroom was severely damaged by fire, but the main thatched section of the building was not affected.

Following the incident, The Cleave Inn posted an update on its Facebook page at 8:26am on Sunday, thanking the fire service for their swift response and reassuring customers that everyone was safe.

“Unfortunately we’ve had a small fire in the early hours; everyone thankfully is ok thanks to Devon Fire Brigade’s speedy response,” the post read. “It’s the cellar/store, but this means we will be closed for a few days. We need to clean up and re-stock. We won’t know for a few days what the cause was, despite early speculation by some.”

A spokesperson from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has this morning told The Moorlander the cause of the fire:

“An area used as a storeroom for the pub was 100 per cent damaged by fire. There were no reported injuries or evacuations, and the cause of the fire is thought to be deliberate.”

Lustleigh is a small village on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, where thatched properties and historic public houses are common, often prompting larger emergency responses due to the fire risk posed by traditional materials.