MORE than 70 firefighters fought a fire that "severely damaged" a thatched cottage last night.
Crews from Hampshire and Dorset tackled the fire in Wiltshire Road, Bransgore, through the night.
When the first crews from Burley and Christchurch arrived, they found the roof "well alight" and further crews attended from Ringwood, New Milton, Fordingbridge, Beaulieu, Springbourne, Westbourne, Poole, Redhill Park, Ferndown, Wimborne, Romsey and Eastleigh.
The firefighters attended with 12 pumping appliances, a water carrier, command units and an environmental unit and fought the blaze using water jets and a compressed air foam fire suppression system.
Relief fire crews have been at the scene all night.
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