Neighbours have described the moment a house on their village street was engulfed in thick smoke. There were fears that a woman may still have been in the house on Cropwell Road, Radcliffe-on-Trent, when the fire broke out at around 12.30pm on Monday, May 9.
However, the lady was found on the driveway and escorted to safety, while the roof of the house poured smoke into the sky - which people nearby had initially thought was a bonfire. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service sent 30 firefighters to the scene to tackle the blaze, which is thought to have started on either the first floor or the roof space, and bring it under control.
Crews are expected to remain on the scene until Tuesday morning [May 10] and an investigation is being carried out into what happened. Cropwell Road was completely closed off by police while the incident was dealt with by firefighters.
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Clive and Alison Bowles, who have lived in Cropwell Road for nearly 20 years, were out in the garden all day and noticed the smoke billowing into the air. Mr Bowles said: "We saw the smoke and initially we thought it was a bonfire. But then we started to hear the crackling and we realised something more serious was going on.
"We dashed over there and we got the lady down the drive and a little further away to make sure she was safe. The gardener was there as well and I think they called the owner to tell them what had happened. I thought the house had completely gone, honestly.
"The whole roof had smoke coming off it, it was completely engulfed. We could barely see coming down the driveway, there was that much smoke coming off of it. So I knew it was a pretty big fire."
Ashley Bestwick, 42, who was working nearby as a gardener, said: "To be honest with you I heard a bit of crackling and I thought someone was having a bonfire. That's not unusual down here. I walked into Radcliffe to get some food and saw all the emergency services going off - there was one, then two, then another - so I knew something was happening.
"I saw police had blocked off the road then so I thought 'this has got to be big'. It's someone's life that has gone up in flames, isn't it? Your insurance can't replace that. There will be pictures and other things that will have been in their family for years that will be lost now - memories that can't be replaced. There were around six ambulances here as well as the fire brigade earlier."
In a statement, Paul Revill, group manager for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Because of the nature of the fire and the structural damage, we could be here for several hours, possibly even through the night and into tomorrow. We have our fire investigation team en route. They will be looking to find out from the witnesses and the evidence what the cause of the fire was and then we will be looking to hand it back over to the occupier and open the road accordingly."
In an update at 6.30pm on May 9, the fire service added: We are scaling down the incident on Cropwell Road, with three fire engines currently in attendance. Crews will be monitoring throughout the night. Cropwell Road remains closed and is expected to open later this evening. A fire investigation has begun."
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