Spalding: House 'wiped out' after bonfire spreads

It is believed the blaze was caused by a bonfire or controlled burn setting a hedge alight

A house has been destroyed and another badly damaged after a bonfire or controlled burn spread out of control.

Seven fire crews were called to the blaze at Gedney Drove End, near Spalding, Lincolnshire, at about 18:35 BST on Saturday.

Resident Stephen Howe said nobody was injured in the blaze but his home had been completely "wiped out".

It was believed a hedge was set alight which then spread to neighbouring homes, Mr Howe added.

He said he had been in his ground floor bedroom when he saw smoke and realised what was happening.

Fire officers told him they believed there must have been material such as bubble wrap in a bonfire or controlled burn near his house, he said.

"The bubble wrap must have popped, sending sparks into the air which the wind immediately took into the hedge - and within seconds the whole hedge was ablaze," Mr Howe said.

Stephen Howe said the blaze had spread quickly, destroying his home

The blaze had spread quickly before fire crews had even arrived and the extent of the damage had left his home uninhabitable, he added.

"Mine is completely wiped out. It is completely derelict and my next door neighbour has lost ceilings in there and there's also smoke damage."