Inside devastating fire that wrecked Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's 17th century cottage

In 2012, a devastating fire swept through the property of celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, which proudly stood on River Cottage Park Farm near Axminster, Devon, as a 17th-century cottage. His River Cottage was primarily used as a venue and cookery school, but after firefighters spent three hours tackling the blaze, the building's roof was completely destroyed, and what remained was just a shell of its former bustling glory. At the time of the fire, Hugh was in Antarctica filming, and it was a local gardener who raised the alarm.

According to reports, emergency services, including police, eight fire engines and 80 firefighters, were deployed to the scene. In a statement, Mike Burroughs, of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It is too early to speculate on the cause of the fire, but I can categorically state that the fire did not start in the wood-fired bread oven or the fish smoker." This came after rumours emerged that the blaze started after a wood-burning stove was left on following a mackerel and fillet fish cookery class.

While firefighters were trying to extinguish the cottage, staff at the River Cottage headquarters were desperately trying to contact Hugh, but the chef was out of radio range, filming in the Southern Ocean. After 36 hours, the team has finally been able to contact him via satellite.

Addressing concerned fans and locals, Hugh released a statement and penned: "I'm so shocked to hear the news of the fire in our barn at Park Farm, our River Cottage HQ. I'm filming a long way away right now, and it's just impossible to imagine.

"Obviously, it's a huge relief that nobody's been hurt, and I'm very grateful to the local fire brigade for their prompt response and all their help."

The chef continued: "I understand there's already a plan underway to set up a working field kitchen so we can continue to host our events, teach our courses and look after our guests in the coming months.

"I've no doubt the whole River Cottage team will be pulling together to make this happen, and in due course, we'll set about restoring our lovely Devon barn to its former glory. Thanks so much to all those who have sent us messages of support."

The cooking school contained around 10 ovens, each connected to an individual gas cylinder, which was involved in the fire.

The 400-year-old barn underwent extensive restoration and rebuilding, which was completed the following year. This included a new purpose-built teaching area, with the original barn being used for River Cottage events, weddings, and themed dining.

An investigation by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue did not establish an exact cause of the fire.