25 July 2010

A family escaped uninjured after a fire broke out in their home this afternoon.

Crews from Great Holm and Broughton were called to a three-storey townhouse in Blackheath Crescent, Bradwell Common, at 5.10pm. The fire started in a bedroom on the top floor.

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's emergency control room received 14 calls to the fire in the space of five minutes.

Station Manager Tony Bennett, who also attended, said: "There were initial fears that there was still someone inside the house when the crews arrived.

"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus carried out a thorough search and were able to give the all-clear."

The fire caused severe damage to the top storey of the house and started to break through the bedroom floor to the middle storey.

The houses on either side were evacuated as a precaution and firefighters used thermal imaging cameras to help check that they had prevented the fire spreading.

Firefighters worked off a 24-metre turntable ladder at the front of the house and a 13-5-metre ladder at the back.

A relief crew from Bletchley Fire Station arrived at 7pm and a reinspection was carried out at 9.45pm.