Reindeer rescued from blazing Christmas barn

Fire officers rushed to Blithbury Reindeer Lodge near Abbots Bromley to extinguish the small blaze after it broke out just before 8.40pm.

Investigators believe it started accidentally and confirmed that one female at the lodge was given oxygen.

In an official statement Blithbury Reindeer Lodge said all the reindeer in the vicinity of the fire were moved within minutes of the alarm being raised and are "absolutely fine".

"Thanks to the prompt action of staff and Staffordshire Fire Service there is limited damage to the barn which is restricted to the storytime and gingerbread area," the statement continued.

"All staff are working at the moment to ensure we are able to open as normal today and we have engineers and electricians on site to check the safety of the building as visitor safety is our top priority.

"There may be some slight changes to our programme for the day whilst we do this, therefore if any visitors booked in today don't wish to attend, please notify us immediately by email to arrange a credit note for a future booking or full refund.

"We are unable to process your cancellation by phone, this needs to be done in writing as stated above.

"As we are sure you will appreciate this aspect was totally out of our control and we are working hard to ensure it doesn't impact on the magic of Blithbury."

A spokesman for Staffordshire Fire Service said firefighters spent nearly two hours tackling the blaze on Uttoxeter Road.

He said: "We responded to a call of a fire in a chimney in one of the barns which was housing animals.

"The reindeer had already been removed from the area when fire officers arrived and none of the animals required any medical attention."