A major oil tanker fire has been extinguished by Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service.

The fire occurred on the A388 near Holsworthy in Devon on the morning of June 2, and when fire fighters arrived they reported the lorry carrying 10,000 litres of red diesel and 600 litres of kerosene “was well alight”.

No other vehicles were involved and no one was injured but residents from six nearby cottages were evacuated.

Six pumping appliances and two special appliances attended and foam jets were used and environmental protection measures put in place.

After the fire was extinguished fire crews stayed at the scene while the remaining fuel in the tanker was decanted to another vehicle. The fire service worked with the Environment Agency to minimise any environmental impact. Overhead telephone lines were damaged by the fire.

Chief fire officer Lee Howell said: “This was a good example of how to deal with a difficult incident. I was very impressed with what the crews had done, preventing significant damage to nearby residential properties.”

Officer in charge John Donovan said: “This was a severe fire in close proximity to properties and crews worked very hard to put out the fire.”