A BLOCKED chimney caused a fire at a Huntingdonshire home.

Debris from a birds’ nest in the chimney breast of an Inglebrook fire place caused the blaze to break out at the property at Spaldwick Road, Stow Longa, at 9pm on Sunday (January 2).

Fire fighters spent the next four hours tackling the flames as the incident proved difficult to tackle.

Crews from Kimbolton and Huntingdon, who were assisted by the turntable ladder from Cambridge, had to cut away at a wooden beam inside the chimney breast and used chimney rods to dislodge the blockage.

They then tackled a second fire further up the chimney breast.

The fire itself was contained to the chimney but there was smoke damage elsewhere in the property.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue said: “Please ensure you get your chimney swept and the brickwork inspected at least once a year. This will help to prevent a chimney fire.”