A County Durham man has described the moment fire ripped through his garden like ‘something out of a movie’ as he and his terrified neighbours tried to stop the flames with their garden hoses.
Residents on Northbridge Park in St Helen Auckland saw their gardens scorched after a field behind their homes was set on fire around 5.30pm on Saturday (August 8).
The neighbours stepped in with buckets and garden hoses in a desperate race against time to stop the flames reaching their homes before three fire engines arrived.
Philip Rolfe was enjoying a gin and tonic and nibbles when the fire started, said strong winds were driving the flames towards them, with fences, sheds and garden furniture destroyed.
He said: "I was sitting with my neighbours outside as it was a lovely day, having a gin and tonic, having nibbles when we heard children shouting just before 5.30pm.
"I stood up to look over the fence as we had heard something like rustling and saw some smoke, then when I got up there I saw the fire and the wind was tracking it directly to where we were.
"It was like something out of a movie, I rang 999 and within minutes police were there, and then one fire engine, and then another, then another."
The cause of the blaze is yet to be confirmed by emergency services.
He said flames from the 200 square meter blaze came dangerously close to the houses.
"It has taken our garden completely out and five others were damaged.
"We are lucky that our garden is a bit longer or it would have hit our homes, the way the fire was tracking on the grass, fences and bamboo lining.”
Philip Rolfe at his home on Northbridge Park St Helens Auckland
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Philip added: "The heat was so intense, the gutters have partly melted with the heat, and some other homes have had their window frames melt and windows crack."
His own garden was left “burnt to a cinder” after almost two decades of work.
The moment a fire destroyed six peoples gardens in St Helen Auckland
(Image: PHILIP ROLFE)
He said: "The garden is just demolished, burnt to a cinder.
"We have recently retired, and with the weather becoming nicer we wanted to enjoy it more but now we can't, it's all charred and barely anything remains, we have the shell of our chairs left."
Philip Rolfe at his home on Northbridge Park St Helens Auckland
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
He even tried to tackle the flames himself with a garden hose before firefighters arrived.
He said: "I tried to fight the fire on the lawn with a garden hose but it was just so intense, the police took over for me until the fire brigade arrived."
The burnt out gardens at Northbridge Park in St Helen Auckland
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Wendy Allison, who has lived in the area for 13 years, said the flames were “massive” when she saw them from an upstairs window.
She said: “I still feel like I can smell it now.
“It’s just really upsetting and I don’t think anything will happen on the back of it.
"You just feel sorry for the ones who have lost more of their gardens and their homes damaged.
“When I saw the flames upstairs I was worried that it was going to reach the house because the flames were massive.
“It was really dry so everything just went up straight away like a boom.”
The burnt out gardens at Northbridge Park in St Helen Auckland
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Wendy said: “My neighbour saw my tree in the corner set alight and she said it was just engulfed within seconds.
“If it wasn’t for the neighbours helping, it would have got out of control because the firemen were trying to cover a large area and my next door neighbour got their hosepipe and stood there to keep the fence wet so it couldn’t spread any further.
“There were a few of them carrying buckets and everyone was helping each other around here which definitely helped.”
The burnt out gardens at Northbridge Park in St Helen Auckland
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
She said residents were left devastated by the damage to the field behind their homes.
“It’s even just a shame to see the field behind so burnt and bad as well, I think we are hoping the council can come and do something about that maybe.
“It’s awful, we also know that hedgehogs live in that field and bushes behind us so it’s sad to think what happened to them. It’s heartbreaking really.”
Another resident described the blaze as a “disaster” and said she feared it would reach her home.
The woman, who did not want to be amed, said: “It’s a disaster, we were in the orangery when we saw it get alight.
"Luckily we have a patio and not much grass so it kind of stopped there, but at the height of it we were worried it was going to reach the house.”
The burnt out gardens at Northbridge Park in St Helen Auckland
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
The blaze broke out at around 5.30pm on Saturday (August 8).
Three fire engines from Darlington and Bishop Auckland Fire Station attended and firefighters remained at the scene for more than two hours.
The burnt out gardens at Northbridge Park in St Helen Auckland
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Philip said his garden is now exposed to the field behind his home as he waits for his insurance company to assess the damage.
He said: "Now our garden is just exposed to the back of the field too, so we are hoping that the insurance company can get back to us within the seven days they told us.
"We have been in this house for years now. Since 2007 we have bought odd bits from garden centres, and now that is all gone. It's such a shame."
The burnt out gardens at Northbridge Park in St Helen Auckland
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
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The burnt out gardens at Northbridge Park in St Helen Auckland
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
A County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 5.30pm on Saturday, August 8 to a field fire on North Bridge Park in West Auckland.
“Three fire engines from Darlington and Bishop Auckland Fire Station attended. Firefighters used two hose reels and a fire beater to extinguish the fire. Crews left the scene at 7.57pm.”
Durham Police has been contacted for comment.