FIREFIGHTERS battled a blaze which left a bungalow 'severely damaged' after a chimney fire spread to the loft.

The occupant of a bungalow in Whitchey Drove, in Cossington near Bridgwater, raised the alarm at 10.40pm.

Three fire crews, from Bridgwater and Burnham on Sea, attended the incident initially and confirmed the occupants had safely left the premises.

"Shortly after initial crews arrived and investigated ... they confirmed smoke was issuing from the loft space and set to work with one hose reel jet," said a Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson.

However, within minutes the attendance was increased by a further two fire crews, which were mobilised from Bridgwater, together with a Command Support Vehicle from Street, and an Incident Support Unit from Yeovil as the fire rapidly intensified and started to spread, breaking through the roof structure.

Crews later had to withdraw from inside the property for their own safety and fire fight externally.

"They made good and steady progress, bringing the fire under control and continuing to damp down hotspots and make areas safe until they were satisfied that the fire was extinguished," the spokesperson said.

"While the property suffered severe damage by fire, some and water, the occupants and their dogs were left uninjured."

The fire was brought under control at around 2.30am.

A crew will be carrying out a re-inspection of the damaged bungalow later this morning.