Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage farm damaged by fire

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage headquarters in Devon have been severely damaged after a fire ripped through the cookery school.

Investigators believe that the fire began in a kitchen last night, before spreading to the former threshing barn, where cookery classes and celebrations are often held.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said that firefighters had to isolate two large tanks of liquid propane gas at the property in Axminster.

Staff at the Park Farm base were said to be "shocked and upset", but no people or animals were hurt in the blaze. Fearnley-Whittingstall himself is out of the country filming.

A River Cottage spokeswoman said: "Late last night a serious fire severely damaged the events barn at River Cottage Park Farm headquarters in Axminster.

"The large kitchen attached to the back of the barn, which is used for cookery demonstrations and large dinners, was destroyed. Nobody was in the barn at the time. Thankfully no people, or animals, were hurt. The cause is as yet unknown."

She added: "The River Cottage team are dealing with the damage and are shocked and upset. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is away on a long-distance filming trip and will be informed as soon as he can be contacted."

Fearnley-Whittingstall moved into the original River Cottage in Dorset in 1998 to start living sustainably by growing and rearing his own food. He now operates a number of businesses and projects grouped within the new River Cottage HQ in Devon.

River Cottage said that its cookery school courses in the converted barn would not be running "in the short term". But it said that the canteen restaurant and delicatessen were not affected by the fire.

On Boxing Day 2011, a fire tragically claimed the lives of the entire family of Matt Golinski, the celebrity chef best known for the Australian version of Ready Steady Cook.