‘There was a huge boom’: Neighbours watch on as fire destroys roof of Sheffield house

Emergency services, including three fire crews, found the roof of a house on Birley Spa Lane, Hackenthorpe “well alight” at 11.10pm on Thursday after a fire, believed to have started accidentally, broke out. No one was injured.

Several neighbours said they were alerted to the blaze at 10.45pm.

One woman, who lives on nearby Rainbow Avenue, said: “There was a boom noise, like a bang, and my dog started crying.

“We saw it blazing through the trees from the top floor of our flat.”

The four-bedroom house where the fire took place is rented, neighbours said, and no one is currently living there.

The woman, who did not want to be named, added: “There was lots of people out watching it. The fire was really, really high – an orange blaze.

“Firefighters were knocking the roof tiles off to see if they could have a better look.”

Another woman said she could smell the burning from her home a few minutes walk away behind the Birley Spa Lane shops.

The smell of fire hung in the air outside the house on Friday morning. A police car with one officer inside was parked outside the property, which was taped off. The roof has been destroyed as well as the top bedroom ceiling, with the front door also damaged.

Lee Osborne, who lives two doors down, said: “I could smell something and at first I thought it was my own house because I decorated my daughter’s room and I thought it was the lights.

“I could see the flames from my back garden. They had a fire engine crane on the roof trying to put it out and they kicked the door in.”

Three police cars were also spotted at the scene.

Lee added: “There was a big family living there previously, around five or six people. Then there was just one guy, I haven’t seen him for a long time.”

Michael Harper, who was staying at a house three doors down, said it was “good news” no one was injured.

He added: “You could see the glow of fire on the roof.”