Two-hour battle to control farmhouse blaze

FIRE crews spent two hours fighting a blaze which “totally gutted” a derelict farmhouse in Conisbrough.

Two engines from Rotherham and Maltby fire stations were called to the Park Lane property at 3.40am on Monday, where they found the house well alight.

Firefighters had to employ a nearby water hydrant to bring the inferno under control, leaving the scene at 5.50am.

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue confirmed that no-one had been injured in the incident.

Officers investigating the fire believe that it was started deliberately, but it was too early to say exactly how.