A LARGE barn full of straw and machinery on the outskirts of Halberton has been destroyed in a fire.

The fire service received multiple calls reporting the blaze just before 10pm on Tuesday, November 19.

It immediately sent crews from Bampton, Middlemoor, Cullompton, Tiverton and Taunton to the scene.

When they arrived, the firefighters began tackling the blaze and by midnight were making steady progress.

By 1.30am the following day, Wednesday, November 20, the fire service was able to scale back its efforts with just two fire engines left at the scene.

Relief crews arrived from Tiverton and Danes Castle at 2am to keep watch, and before 4.30am just one fire engine remained.

A relief crew from Witheridge then arrived at the scene at 6am.

Firefighters advised people in the local area to keep their doors and windows shut while they fought the blaze.

The cause of the fire was accidental, the fire service said.