FIRE damage to a 15th Century house was prevented last night thanks to the quick thinking actions of its homeowner.

Firecrews were called to a house fire in the High Street, in Standlake, at 8.03pm and were met with a fire that had started in the outbuildings of the property.

But firefighters said the blaze had been contained and not spread to the older part of the house after the owner closed a connecting door between the outbuildings and main house.

Watch Manager Ed Maloney from Bampton Fire Station said: “This was a significant fire involving outbuildings at the rear of the property that was dealt with swiftly by the fire crews.

"But the fact that the occupier had simply closed a door between the outbuildings and the main house, when discovering the fire, had stopped the fire spreading to the main part of the 15th century house and therefore limited the spread of fire and the amount of damage that could have been caused.

"An incident like this is a timely reminder to consider such things as; evening routines such as simply closing doors prior to settling down for the night, and checking that you have working smoke alarms and that you test them regularly."

Four fire engines from Bampton, Abingdon and Witney fire stations attended the scene.