4 May 2007

A fire that started in a shed spread to three houses and caused serious roof and first-floor damage yesterday afternoon.

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service received the first of 16 calls to the fire in Cousins Drive, Aylesbury, at 3.03pm.

Around 15 firefighters from Aylesbury Fire Station fought the blaze with three hose reels and a main jet. They managed to prevent it from spreading further along the terrace.

Six firefighters entered the homes wearing breathing apparatus, and a crew from Winslow was called in to provide additional cover in the event of the fire threatening to spread further.

Group Manager Darryl Keen, Incident Commander, has warned of the potential danger of siting sheds too close to houses.

He said: "The shed was positioned right next to one of the houses and the fire quickly spread. Had the shed been further away - just a few metres - the fire could have been put out before it set the first house alight.

"Over the years we have been to a number of fires where sheds, outbuildings and even rubbish skips right next to homes or commercial premises have caught fire, and the consequences have sometimes been devastating."

Darryl praised the fire crews for preventing the blaze from spreading further down the terrace of houses. He said: "At one point we called for a fifth crew, but we were able to turn them back. The firefighters worked very quickly and thoroughly and managed to stop the fire working its way down the whole row of houses."

Firefighters inspected the scene with a thermal imaging camera before leaving, and carried out a reinspection later in the evening.