Wordsworth Avenue fire: CCTV shows 'explosion' and car speeding away from scene at Sheffield house

The community on Wordsworth Avenue, Parsons Cross, is still reeling today (March 22) following a devastating fire at a home last night. A police cordon remains in place as crime scene investigators comb through the house.

But CCTV seen by The Star has shown how the blaze first broke out when a sudden explosion rocked the two-storey house – as well as how a car arrived and suddenly sped away in the moments surrounding the fireball.

The footage shows how, at 8.54pm on March 21, a car arrived outside the home on Wordsworth Avenue. Seconds later, the second storey was set ablaze by an explosion.

A man then sprinted down the street in the direction of Donovan Road, then ran back up again towards the home and disappearing from sight. The car then drove away at high speed.

South Yorkshire Police has not yet said what they believe the cause of the fire was, or if it was intentional.

Neighbours told The Star how they looked out their windows to see the “billowing out of the house”. They heard “a lot of screaming” as the fire quickly spread to the entire property.

Within minutes of the explosion, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue arrived at the scene, who then rescued two people from inside – a seven-year-old girl and a 47-year-old woman. Officers say none of the occupants have suffered life threatening injuries.

Two men reportedly got themselves out of the house – one of whom leapt from a second storey window.

One woman told The Star how she and her neighbours rushed to help the people inside. She said: “There was a loud bang and an explosion. The house caught fire immediately. We were not even able to go inside and get them out ourselves.

"A man jumped from the window and hurt themselves, and they were all covered in blood. He was lying on the grass and he wanted to go back inside, and I had to tell him not to move until paramedics arrived. I was sat with him for 15 or 20 minutes talking to him and trying to calm him down.

"The fire engines arrived in minutes. I saw them get the little girl out. She was traumatized but was awake and talking with the fire officer.

"I know the woman who was brought out, I see her around the neighbourhood. She is like a friend. It was all so horrible. I barely slept last night. I will never forget it."

The emergency response included four fire engines, four ambulances and at least six police vehicles.

Another neighbour said: “We’re all traumatized. I feel so sorry for the people who live there and what they’ve been through.”

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: “Emergency services were called just before 9pm last night to reports of a fire at a property on Wordsworth Avenue, Sheffield.

"Four people from the property were taken to hospital with injuries not thought to be life threatening.

"The investigation is in the early stages, and officers are working jointly with the fire service to determine how the fire was started.”