Mystery blaze nearly burns down two homes

Mystery surrounds a ferocious fire which obliterated a garden shed and nearly burnt down two houses in Stanwell on Monday September 29.

Fire experts are investigating the blaze, which started in the 6ft by 4ft shed in the garden of a detached home in Bedfont Road at about 9.45pm, but they do not yet know how it started. There was no electrical sockets in the shed.

As the blaze burt the shack to the ground, it set the fence alight between the garden and next door, which sent next door's guttering up in flames, along with the roof of the extension on the shed's side of the fence.

The neighbour whose guttering was damaged, Bill Hannington, 50, who lives with his wife, Leigh, also 50, said Leigh's sister, Anne Barker, who was staying with them, raised the alarm when she went to bed at about 9.30pm

He said: "She turned out her lights out to go to bed and saw the glow out the window. The flames were almost as tall as this house, and the heat was intense.

"The heat actually cracked all the glass in our back door.

"I was out there trying to squirt the flames with the hose but it had no effect."

The businessman, who runs a car servicing and repairs garage in Paddington, said it was only afterwards that he sat down and thought what a close call it was, adding: "It scares me looking at it now, because it could have burnt my house down.

"I don't usually go to be until 11pm but we went early because we were tired. If my sister-in-law hadn't been here I don't know what would have happened."