Poldark viewers were left holding their breath tonight as Demelza was forced to battle a blaze at her home in the dramatic first episode of season five.
In tense scenes from the BBC One drama, Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) was seen reading in bed with her two children when she heard a window break elsewhere in Nampara House.
The thrown object, which was engulfed in flames, landed on a cloth which had been placed over the banister of a staircase and sparked a raging fire in the hall.
Poldark viewers were left holding their breath on Sunday as Demelza was forced to battle a fire in the dramatic first episode of season five
Demelza, who had been snuggled beside her daughter Clowance and son Jeremy, slowly made her way out of bed as the pair continued to sleep soundly beneath the sheets.
Tiptoeing around the hallway with her pooch Garrick in tow, Demelza quickly noticed the raging fire and shouted to her housekeeper Prudie Paynter, who was sleeping downstairs.
The redhead then ran back into the bedroom, shouting for her children to wake up and wetting cloths for Clowance and Jeremy to put over their faces.
She then pulled the sheet from her bed and doused it in water in an attempt to quash the flames.
In tense scenes from the BBC drama, Demelza was reading in bed with her two children when she heard a window break elsewhere in Nampara House
Demelza, who was beside her children, slowly made her way out of bed as the pair continued to sleep soundly beneath the sheets
Demelza, coughing and spluttering due to the smoke, hurled the sodden bedspread over the fire, which had spread throughout the hall.
The brave mum then ran outside with her youngest in her arms, reassuring them: ‘You’re safe now my darlings.’
Later in the episode, the mother-of-two confronted Tess Tregidden, a former employee of Trenwith whom she had employed as her kitchen maid, about the fire.
She asked the spirited servant whether she had anything to do with the disaster, which Tess vehemently denied.
The thrown object, which was engulfed in flames, landed on a cloth which had been placed over the banister of a staircase, and quickly caught fire
Tiptoeing around the hallway with her pooch Garrick in tow, Demelza quickly notices the raging fire, and shouts to her housekeeper Prudie Paynter who is sleeping downstairs
Reaction: Fans were thrilled by the episode and praised Demelza for saving her family ‘while her house burns down’
Demelza refused to back down, insisting: ‘If you work for me there must be trust, each to the other do you understand? Did you do this?’
But Tess was resolute and an unconvinced Demelza retreated from the kitchen.
Elsewhere in the episode, Ross (Aidan Turner) and Demelza received a visit from Catherine Despard, the wife of Edward ‘Ned’ Despard, an Irish soldier who fought alongside Ross in America.
Catherine handed Ross a letter from her husband, who appealed to the mine owner to help him out of a desperate situation in London.
Later in the episode, the mother-of-two confronts Tess Tregidden, a former employee of Trenwith whom she had employed as her kitchen maid
Trouble is afoot in the capital, and Ross is forced to intercept a dramatic assassination attempt of King George III during a trip to the theatre
Ross soon learns that his former comrade has been imprisoned and sighed: ‘If I’m not mistook he has asked me to take on the government, the crown, the empire and the entire slave trade… did I miss anything?’
The former soldier agreed to lend a hand to his old friend regardless.
But trouble is afoot in the capital, and Ross was forced to intercept a dramatic assassination attempt of King George III during a trip to the theatre.
In tense scenes Ross is seen making his way through a packed crowd as they sing a rendition of God Save the King
The final series of Poldark will continue on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One
The final series of Poldark will continue next Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.