Multiple families have lost all their belongings after a blaze tore through their homes.

The fire spread rapidly through a row of houses at Dutson, near Launceston, at about 01:48 BST on Sunday. Everyone escaped unharmed, and dozens of firefighters attended the incident to extinguish the flames.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) is now appealing for clothing for the families. Donations can be dropped off at the New Market Inn, Launceston.

A spokesperson for CFRS described the fire as “a major incident with a huge emergency response”.

They added: “A devastating outcome for the occupants of the properties who have lost all their belongings, but most importantly all safe and accounted for.”

Crispin Sobey is the landlord of the group of five houses, three of which were severely damaged by the fire.

He told the BBC: “When I turned up there were about half a dozen fire appliances, there must have been 30 firemen with hoses trying to keep the fire under control.

“The high bit of the barn still hadn’t been caught and I sort of hoped they’d contain it but I think it was so alight it was not doable.

“They were dowsing it, trying to keep the fire away from the adjacent buildings but they caught fire.”

He said two nearby houses had escaped the fire but three had been severely damaged.

He said he hoped that one of those could be saved but thought the other two would need to be demolished and new buildings developed in their place.

Padstow Community Fire Station remained on scene for the day to dampen down and monitor hotspots, the CFRS spokesperson added.