Fire crews from Driffield joined colleagues from the North Yorkshire service to tackle the blaze at the property at White House Farm, Foxholes on Sunday morning.

Businessman Ian Scruton and his wife Sue, who own agricultural engineers Wilfred Scruton Ltd, had been in the garden of the house when the blaze started at around 11.15am.

The couple's daughter Laura had gone to the shops shortly before the fire started.

No-one was hurt in the blaze but little could be salvaged from the property, which is thought to have been the family home for the past 12 years and was gutted by the flames.

Eye-witnesses said the fire ravaged the house in a matter of minutes leaving onlookers shocked and powerless.

Neighbour and Ryedale district councillor John Raper said: "There was very thick black smoke and red flames licking about in the kitchen and coming out of the bedroom windows.

"It spread extremely quickly - in just minutes. It was gut wrenching to watch but there was nothing anybody could do.

"You could hear the glass from the windows shattering. It was such an eerie sound, quite sinister really."

Mr Raper said the couple had carried out a number of improvements to the house, which had 11 downstairs and six upstairs rooms.

"It was a beautiful house with a fantastic staircase. I was mortified and I know I speak for all the villagers. We are all devastated."

He added that villagers had rallied round with offers of help to the couple, who had been left only with the clothes they were wearing.

And Mr Raper said the village would continue to offer help and support to the family.

The family's dogs, which also escaped unscathed, are now being looked after by a neighbour.

Firefighters from Driffield joined crews from Scarborough, Filey, Sherburn and Snainton to tackle the blaze, which took around two hours to extinguish.

Fire experts were due to return to the site on Monday to continue their investigations into the cause of the blaze, which is thought to have started in the kitchen.