A woman cooking dinner heard a "massive bang" and then saw thick black smoke pouring out of a terraced house.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews were deployed to Ronald Street, Old Swan shortly after 2pm today, Saturday, May 20 following reports of a house fire. Residents on the quiet street, who were enjoying the afternoon sun, were dismayed to find a fire raging inside one of the houses.
One local woman, who was speaking to a friend near the fire-damaged house, told the ECHO: "I was in the kitchen cooking and heard a bang. I came out and saw black smoke pouring out the roof. The damage isn't half bad.
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"I couldn't see any flames, just loads of smoke. You can smell the smoke in my house. I was making Spanish meatballs – I won't have to use my smoky paprika now."
The woman, who asked not to be named, added: "The people who live there haven't been in for a couple of days. Everyone on the street came out and were knocking on each other's doors and calling the fire service. People came straight over to check on us. It was really frightening – I can't stop shaking."
When the ECHO arrived on the street shortly after 4pm the extent of the fire damage was evident. The white exterior of the house was blackened with smoke and part of the front window was missing. A ruined sofa and chair were piled up outside the house, while blackened furniture littered the floor inside.
A spokesperson for the fire service told the ECHO crews from four engines arrived on the scene at 2.11pm where they found a "fully developed fire" on the ground floor of the property. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the house and started tackling the blaze using jet hoses. The fire was put out by 2.25pm.
Fire crews remained at the scene dampening down the affected property. They also used fans to ventilate the neighbouring properties. A full search of the house confirmed there were no people inside and everyone was accounted for. Crews left the scene at 4pm.
Merseyside Police and North West Ambulance Service also attended the scene. Engineers also were at the scene to isolate the gas and electricity.
Another woman, who watched on as engineers from SP Energy Networks worked at the scene, told the ECHO: "These houses are so close together. If it was a gas issue it could have taken the whole street up. The main thing is they have isolated the gas.
"They were really quick to do that. It's horrible – people were out doing things and enjoying the weather. You don't expect that on your street on a Saturday afternoon."
A force incident manager at Merseyside Police confirmed to the ECHO officers attended the scene at 2.19pm. He added it was a fire service investigation.
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