FIREFIGHTERS from two counties raced to the scene of a serious garage fire yesterday.

A crew from Stratton joined their colleagues from Faringdon and Abingdon in tackling the blaze.

The Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service thanked the Swindon-based crew for their assistance, stressing the importance of cross-county deployments.

A spokesman said: "On arrival crews were faced with a challenging incident that was rapidly spreading.

"Fire crews removed cars that were in adjoining garages and used water jets to prevent fire spread. A breathing apparatus crew entered the garages to fully extinguish the fire."

The garage owner discovered the fire and his quick actions in calling 999 meant the crews were on scene within minutes.

The spokesman added: "Good information given on scene helped our fire crews to understand exactly what they were facing and so they were able to focus their initial attacks.

"We strongly recommend that members of the public practise good housekeeping in their own garages and sheds and have a good clear-out of unwanted items periodically."