THESE pictures show the scale of destruction wrought on a Park South home by a devastating fire.
Firefighters were called shortly after 6.30pm to Keswick Road. A fire that started in a back garden shed spread to a line of three terraced houses. Flames jumped twice the height of the house.
One home was destroyed in the blaze. Another was badly damaged by fire and smoke. A third escaped with smoke damage.
Neighbour Nikki Belcher, 41, said: “It’s upsetting to see the house. They’ve lost all their stuff. I watched the fire, it’s just awful.”
Her neighbour, 77, who asked not to be named, made three rounds of tea for the 30 firefighters called to the blaze: “They were doing their job. There were some of them in real agony. One poor chap, I said, ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’”
She ended up making three rounds of tea, carrying out the tray to the exhausted firemen taking turns to tackle the flames. “I left the sugar there,” she smiled.
Last night, shocked residents watched the flames. Sam Ellis, 49, could see the devastation from her sister’s Shaftesbury Avenue garden: “It’s horrendous round there. We’ve lost gardens, but they’ve lost their homes.”
Harvey Alexander, 7, rushed home after seeing the blaze: “I saw a big flame come up. It came wooshing up. I got scared.”
Fire crews left the scene around 10.15pm last night, but a crew returned in the early hours to check on the house.
Wiltshire Police were also called to the fire, closing Keswick Road in both directions from after 6.30pm.
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