Families escape homes during night-time blaze
The property which was gutted by a fire in the early hours of this morning. - Credit: Archant
A Weston family had a lucky escape when two properties next to their home went up in flames.
Officers are assessing the properties this morning to determine the cause of the fire. - Credit: Archant
Courtney Hammond was just about to go to bed when she heard a 'popping sound' outside her home in North Lane.
She looked out of the window to see the houses next door engulfed in flames and immediately called the fire service.
She said: "I was just about to go to sleep at about 3am when I heard this popping sound outside - at the time I thought it was fireworks.
"I looked out of the window to see the houses behind me engulfed in flames.
The fire took hold of two properties in North Lane. - Credit: Archant
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"I rang 999 as soon as I saw the flames and as I noticed it was going onto my bathroom I quickly got my son out of bed and ran outside.
"My son's dad grabbed what we needed for our son and made sure the bathroom window was shut so it didn't spread inside.
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"Because of how close we were to the house on fire, it's lucky we didn't go up as well.
"My flat wasn't burnt as much as the other houses, but it's burnt the fibre glass in my roof and the outside of my bathroom window frame.
The property which was gutted by a fire in the early hours of this morning. - Credit: Archant
"The heat cracked my bathroom window also."
Crews from Weston, Winscombe, Clevedon and Kingswood attended the blaze on Friday, which had spread to two properties.
More: Crews battle fire in Weston town centre.
Firefighters used three 45mm jets and a turntable ladder to extinguish the fire.
Several people had to be evacuated from properties in the area and crews from Winscombe paid tribute to the 'brave family' who escaped down a ladder at 3am.
A North Somerset Council spokesman said: "We were contacted by the police in the early hours of this morning requesting assistance to support the two households affected by the fire in North Street.
"We attended the scene and arranged overnight hotel accommodation for the residents who'd lost their homes.
"We have continued to help them today with longer-term housing arrangements."
Officers returned to the scene later on Friday to assess the properties to determine the cause of the fire.
A spokesman for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said: "The cause is still unknown and will remain as such.
"We were unable to investigate due to structural damage."
