A THATCHED cottage was seriously damaged when a fire broke out in an upstairs bedroom.

Seventeen firefighters were called in to deal with the blaze at the cottage in Kinnersley, Upton-upon-Severn, yesterday evening.

A neighbour saw the smoke and contacted the fire brigade, who sent four appliances from Worcester and Upton-upon-Severn to the two-storey cottage shortly before 6pm.

"When we got there, there was smoke coming from the roof," said Alec Mackie, spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade.

Two firefighters were sent in with breathing apparatus to locate the source of the fire in the cottage.

"We think the fire was started by an electrical fault and we are not treating it as anything suspicious," said Mr Mackie.

Went pop

"Obviously it had been smouldering for a long time until it suddenly went pop."

The electrical fault had been in an upstairs bedroom and damaged the room and its contents before it spread to the roof.

Firefighters encountered further difficulties with the roof because it was thatched.

"Fortunately, the house was unoccupied at the time and I'm pleased to say no one was hurt," said Mr Mackie.

"We understand it had been recently bought and the new owners were in the process of moving in."

The blaze was under control within half-an-hour.

Fire crews returned to the scene in the early hours of this morning to re-inspect the cottage and make sure it was safe.