PARKED cars at the entrance of a village lane hampered firefighters who rushed to Market Lavington, near Devizes, on Sunday morning to try and stop a house blaze spreading.

Firefighters had to run down The Clays to reach a semi-detached house after burning oil caused the blaze to spread quickly and neighbouring properties were also in danger.

But Devizes retained station commander Pip Flowers said it was impossible for the fire engines to turn into the lane because of parked cars on the corner with White Street.

He said: “It is a very narrow road anyway but the cars on the corner made it impossible for us to turn.”

A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service said this situation showed the importance of its Mind The Gap campaign that was held earlier this year to ask people to think more about how they park on narrow streets.

The spokesman said: “This really does show that we weren’t exaggerating when we ran the campaign.

"We don’t want to stop people parking outside their homes but just to think a bit more about what might happen in an emergency.”

The fire service is still investigating the cause of the blaze which has left a semi-detached home uninhabitable and the neighbouring property damaged by water. A nearby bungalow was also damaged by fire after strong winds fanned the flames.

A family devastated by a fire which ripped through their village home has praised firefighters for their skill and compassionate attitude.

The semi-detached house owned by the Tye family was severely damaged after a fire started in the back garden and spread to an oil tank on Sunday morning.  The blaze quickly spread to the house and the roof was destroyed. Neighbouring properties were also damaged.

But the Tyes this week paid tribute to fire crews who had to run to the scene in The Clays, Market Lavington, near Devizes, after the alarm was raised at 11.42am.  The mother and her two adult children managed to get out of the house along with the family dog.

The family said: “The fire crews were brilliant. They did an amazing job even though it was difficult for them to get down here because of parked cars on the corner of the road. 

"We thought they would only be worried about putting out the fire but they asked us if there were any sentimental or important items they could try and salvage.

“They managed to get photographs and that sort of thing. We are very grateful. The fire started in the garden. We don’t know how it began but it spread to the oil tank.

“We were in the living room and the first we knew was when a neighbour knocked on the door.” 

Devizes retained station commander Pip Flowers who was part of the first crew on the scene said fire engines were unable to turn into the narrow lane at the back of the High Street as cars were parked on the corner. 

He said: “The family had got neighbours to move their cars to make space for us but there were cars on the corner of the road and we couldn’t turn in so the crew had to run down the road.”

Eventually the fire appliances were able to get close to the scene of the blaze by using the parking area of a business the other side of a wall.

Mr Flowers said that the fire had already taken control of much of the house by the time the crews arrived.

He said: “It was already into the roof. The intense heat from the burning oil would have caused the fire to spread quickly.  "Our main aim was to stop it from spreading into nearby properties.

“But in these cases we do like to do what we can to salvage what we can for householders. 

"This was a lovely family and we asked if there was anything important inside. Often people think first about expensive things such as TVs but I always say they can be bought again with insurance money whereas photographs, jewellery or something like a wedding dress can’t be replaced.”

The Devizes crews were first joined by Trowbridge, Calne, Warminster and Corsham, supported by the incident command vehicle from Stratton and an operational support unit from Salisbury.

Relief crews were later sent from Westbury and Ludgershall, with the last appliance leaving the scene at 6.15pm, although re-inspections were carried out late on Sunday and again on Monday morning.

The spokesman for Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service said that investigations into the cause of the fire were still continuing.

Video by Hayley Gorham Hughes

The British Red Cross emergency response team also attended from Swindon to support those people whose homes had been affected.

South Western Ambulance Service was called to the scene and one man in his twenties was taken to hospital, suffering from smoke inhalation but was released after treatment.

As well as causing severe damage to the Tyes’ home, the next door property was left without electricity and was affected by the firefighting operation. A nearby bungalow also suffered some damage to its roof and a bay window after the fire spread due to strong winds.