FIREFIGHTERS in Newton Abbot descended upon one of the town’s community centres this week after reports of a fire...

Thankfully, the shout was a part of the crew’s training.

An exercise involving multiple trapped persons, Newton Abbot Fire Station were faced with tackling a blaze at the Gilbert Road building while a children's play group were present.

With smoke issuing from the building and as many as nine people unaccounted for, the crew quickly got to work, the Incident Commander committing two teams of firefighters to enter the building from separate directions, tasked with reducing those inside and extinguishing the fire where possible.

A spokesperson for Newton Abbot Fire Station said: ‘The crews worked brilliantly together in what can be one of the worst types of call we could face.

‘We would like to say a special thank you to The Buckland Centre for allowing us to train in your premises.

‘Use of unfamiliar settings allows us to provide realistic training for our crews.

‘Therefore improving their skills and professionalism.

‘Something we couldn't do without the support of our community who regularly provide us with varying training venues’.