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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
National
Joseph Locker

Bingham man recalls moment his home 'almost went up in flames' after man cave caught fire

A man has recalled the moment he arrived home to to see smoke rising from his home "as high as a plane" before firefighters managed to control the blaze.

Alan Stark, who has lived in Nursery Road, Bingham for 45 years, said he received a call from a distressed neighbour saying his shed was on fire.

He was meeting friends at a cafe just under four miles away in Screveton and rushed home to find his shed was ablaze.

The flames eventually spread to his house, with the heat and explosions from gas canisters and aerosols blowing out his kitchen windows, before further spreading to his neighbour's home.

"If [the fire service] had been five minutes longer I would have been in a hotel," Mr Stark says.

"I'm a bloke who needs his shed. It had hundreds of pounds worth of power tools in. Welding tools, engine oils. All up in flames.

"It meant everything to me. You could see the smoke when I arrived. The fire service wasn't there. It was as high as a plane. I got out my car and thought: 'Oh my God'."

His wife Pat Stark added: "We've never had anything like this before.

"That was his man cave. But for me it is all my plants."

Alan Stark's 'man cave' was completely destroyed along with hundreds of pounds worth of tools (Nottingham Post)

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service sent two crews to the scene and managed to get the fire under control before any further damage could occur.

Mr Stark says he must now make a claim on his insurance, the first time in his life.

He added the fire service believed the fire may have started due to faulty electrical items in the shed.

The fire service Tweeted: "London Road Station 3 and West Bridgford Station 19 attended a fire involving a shed which had then spread to the property on Nursery Road, Bingham.

"The crews used 2 [breathing apparatus] and 2 hose reel jets to extinguish the fire."

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