- Celebrity chef told by satellite phone 8,000 miles away that 'the heart of his River Cottage HQ' has been destroyed by fire
- Site used for filming of the River Cottage Treatment
By Rob Cooper
Last updated at 4:27 PM on 9th February 2012
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall today spoke of his shock after learning that his River Cottage barn had been destroyed in a blaze.
The celebrity chef, who is on a boat in the ocean 8,000 miles away filming, was told via satellite phone that his cookery school had burnt down.
He is filming for Hugh's Fish Fight, a programme about sustainable fishing and was only told about Tuesday night's blaze today.
Scroll down to see video footage of the blaze
Firefighters were on the scene investigating the cause of the fire today. Each of the individual cookers in the barn had its own gas cylinder
Blaze: A team of firefighters battle the fire as it engulfs the cookery school kitchens at the River Cottage headquarters in Devon on Tuesday night
Fire engulfed the converted River Cottage barn, built in 1610, late at night after a cookery class had gone home.
Today fire investigators were still investigating the cause of the blaze but it was not thought to be suspicious. No one was injured.
After colleagues had broken the bad news to Hugh, he said in a statement that he was 'shocked' to learn of the damage.
'I'm so shocked to hear the news of the fire in our barn at Park Farm, our River Cottage HQ,' he said.
'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.
River Cottage: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall used the site in the TV series The River Cottage Treatment
Aerial picture of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage showing the main house and Kitchens to the rear
'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 it's former glory. Thanks so much to all those who have sent us messages of support.'
Fire investigator Mike Burroughs said this afternoon: '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'.
Earlier he had indicated that the stove was a possible source of the fire which started after a mackerel and fillet fish cookery class.
A gardener, who lives in part of the large farmhouse opposite, raised the alarm at around 10pm on Tuesday. Nobody was in the barn at the time and no people or animals were hurt. 
Inside: The River Cottage cookery school which was destroyed in the blaze on Tuesday
Blaze: The cooking classroom was completely destroyed in the fire which happened shortly after 10.15pm on Tuesday
Yesterday the remains of rows of gas ovens and burnt-out pots and pans could be seen among the charred debris.
Before the blaze started, a cookery class had enjoyed a fish supper they had cooked themselves as their teachers checked to see nothing had gone wrong.
The group paid 230 for the all-day fish cookery class and were driven to the farm in Axminster, Devon, on a tractor.
After a teacher demonstrated how to fillet and cut fish they returned to their workstations and tried it themselves. However, hours later the fire started.
Blaze: The roof of the stone building has caved in and the timber beams have been left severely charred at River Cottage in Axminster, Devon
Before: The River Cottage barn is home to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's cookery school. Staff said that anyone booked on a course will be contacted as soon as possible
Destroyed: The floor and work surfaces are covered in tiles from the roof. Pots and pans are blackened and the rest of the kitchen completely gutted
A team of 80 firefighters were called in to tackle the blaze but they could not stop it taking hold and destroying the barn.
Damage to the single-storey building is thought to run into tens of thousands of pounds. The former threshing barn was restored six years ago and is regarded by Fearnley-Whittingstall's team as 'the heart of River Cottage HQ', his spokesman said.
Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall, 47, who is due back in England at the end of the month, lives with his wife Marie and their four children in another farmhouse less than 20 miles away.
Wrecked: The kitchens may have to be pulled down following the blaze. The cause is not thought to be suspicious
Charred: Pots sit on the shelves in the blackened kitchen
Celebrity chef: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall had this morning not been informed about the blaze as he is away filming
A message posted on Twitter yesterday by the River Cottage team expressed thanks to the fire service, saying: 'River Cottage sausage rolls all round for the crews, who were terrific last night.' Fearnley-Whittingstall moved into the original River Cottage in Dorset in 1998.
The chef went on to write a series of best-selling books based on his philosophy of ethically sourced food and moved his headquarters to Park Farm in 2006.
He also runs the River Cottage Canteen and Deli in the centre of Axminster and last year opened the latest addition to his empire – a second Canteen and Deli in Plymouth.
What a shame after all that work rebuilding the barn, but I'm glad there were no injuries and I'm sure work will start on clearning the site and rebuilding soon. js, berks uk - Remote control batteries flat? Chained to the sofa? No? Thought not. If you don't like, don't watch.
- Debbie, Here in the UK, 09/2/2012 17:23
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