A PASSER-BY helped avert a potential tragedy last Monday night when she spotted a fire in the thatched porch of a Sidmouth cottage. Now the owner of one of Birds Nest Cottages, in Sid Road, would like to thank the girl who raised the alarm at around 11.30

A PASSER-BY helped avert a potential tragedy last Monday night when she spotted a fire in the thatched porch of a Sidmouth cottage.Now the owner of one of Birds Nest Cottages, in Sid Road, would like to thank the girl who raised the alarm at around 11.30pm and prevented the fire from spreading unnoticed.Through a police spokesman, the owner, who was in the house at the time of the fire, told the Herald she would like to thank the girl.The spokesman said: "She is trying to get hold of the girl who raised the alarm. Her name is Katrina, and she was going home from work when she spotted the fire. She was soaking wet."Fortunately the fire was quickly extinguished and the fire brigade was not called, although the police were advised."We don't know how it started, or if accelerant was used, but someone tried to set fire to the porch between 9pm and 11.30pm. We had the call at 11.45pm." He said another member of the public found burnt clothing on a patch of ground under a hedge at Green Mount, close to Sid Road, at 10am the following morning.If you are Katrina please contact the Herald on (01395) 515191 or speak to a reporter at our High Street office.