ARSONISTS are responsible for a fire which ripped through an historic wooden chalet completely destroying it.

The Bishopsteignton bungalow was reduced to rubble by the blaze which started at about 4.50pm on Sunday.

Yesterday, a 50-metre exclusion zone remained in place around the detached Luxton Steps property on the banks of the River Teign after fears there was a high level of asbestos pollution but tests later revealed the asbestos risk to only be small.

Up to 38 firefighters tackled the fire, and trains travelling on the nearby coastal railway line were stopped in both directions for nearly four hours.

Fire crews had to pump water more than half a mile away, across three fields and a railway line to reach the scene.

Fire appliances from Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Paignton and Torquay attended with a Dawlish water carrier supplying the engines.

An Environment Unit also attended to assist with decontamination.

Yesterday blackened gas cannisters and sheets of corrugated metal lay on the ground on the 10 by eight-metre plot where the 19th century home had stood.

Teignmouth firefighters donned white protective suits and masks to tackle 'hot spots' in the smouldering wreckage and police kept members of the public away from the scene.

Butane and propane cylinders were cooled and made safe and firefighters were decontaminated at the scene.

Initially officers were unable to trace the owner of the cottage and firefighters were sifting carefully through the debris because of concerns he could have died in the fire but this was later ruled out.

Fire station manager Andy Rowse said: "We believe the cause to be arson. We searched the building and there was no sign of any person in there. The police are still trying to contact the owner who we believe lives in Bristol. We are happy that there was no one in there when the fire occurred."

Test results on materials gathered at the scene revealed a 'light' presence of asbestos carrying a low level pollution risk.

Speaking at the scene yesterday, incident commander Ian Radford said: "The property has been completely destroyed. The roof imploded on to the building stopping our firefighting operations. We removed the charred roof tiles and extinguished pockets of fire beneath them.

"We carried out a thorough investigation to make sure there was no loss of life. If we cannot establish ownership, we need to err on the side of caution and carry out a check. That's the reason we are looking and sifting through the debris.

"Tests showed a building product which contains minor levels of asbestos was present but it was not a high risk. We have handed it over to the Environment Agency and they will decide if they need to remove any of the product from the site or if it's the responsibility of the owner."

Owners of neighbouring chalets were allowed near the scene to check their own properties for any sign of damage.

Lisa Pash from Shaldon, whose family own one of the six cottages, panicked when she heard about the fire.

"I got back from a weekend away to a stack of messages on my phone. By the time I reached the last message I realised it wasn't ours," she said.

Mrs Pash's cottage, Love Shack, was burnt down in an arson attack two and a half years ago.

"After our experience I immediately suspected arson. I am upset for the owner and for heritage purposes. I am also concerned for our chalet," she said.