Terror as ‘raging inferno’ rips by way of new construct house with household inside

A family was rescued from their £600,000 newbuild home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, after a devastating fire broke out on Bank Holiday Monday, with investigators examining the property’s solar panels

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Shocking doorbell camera footage has captured the terrifying moment a fire broke out at a family’s home, ripping through their £600,000 newbuild property.

The blaze, which erupted at the residence on Prospero Drive in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire on bank holiday Monday, consumed solar panels on its roof, with ring doorbell images revealing it fully ablaze by 10.30am. Firefighters rushed to the scene and rescued three adults and a child from the four-bedroom detached house.

Local residents have recounted the moment they witnessed the “big cloud of smoke” billowing from the property, with one heroic off-duty firefighter dashing to assist the family.

Robert Shipman, who was doing DIY when he noticed the smoke billowing from the home’s roof, sprinted to his car and raced around the corner to alert the occupants. Robert stated: “As I was coming round the corner I saw a big cloud of smoke. I banged on the door and said I’m an off-duty firefighter can you please get out your house – it’s on fire.

“The family didn’t realise their roof had gone, they were on the first floor. They got out and we managed to get two of their pets out. We knocked on the next door neighbour’s door and said there’s a fire, get out,” reports the Mirror.

Hero Robert revealed he managed to evacuate neighbouring properties in the vicinity with assistance from two other off-duty firefighters who resided locally. He explained the blaze became so intense that he could witness dense, glowing flames pouring from the family residence’s loft hatch, and noted the door had also caught fire.

He stated: “You could see some really thick orange flames coming through the loft hatch. Where things had fallen off the roof it set fire to the door.

“I saw some Ring doorbell footage – I’ve never seen anything like it the roof just went.” The dwelling wasn’t the sole property affected by the fire, with at least four vehicles parked close by also suffering damage when tiles from the burning house’s roof crashed onto the street below. Other locals described watching in terror as the family fled frantically to safety.

One neighbour commented: “It happened so suddenly, one minute the roof was smoking a little and the next it was a raging inferno “People around here are speculating the solar panels may have overheated but there’s not much left of them.

“I was chatting to a fella who lives around here who fits solar panels and he said if they are not connected properly and then you get lots of sunny weather, it can cause a surge of power which can cause a fire. It’s pretty scary because so many people have these things on their houses and with more heatwaves the worry is they’ll be more fires as a result.” Temperatures soared to 28C on Sunday, and had already reached 22C when the blaze broke out. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service hasn’t dismissed the possibility that weather conditions played a role.

However, investigators haven’t been able to access the property due to structural issues, so they’re maintaining an open approach. A spokesperson explained: “At the moment we have no further information about the cause of the fire. Our fire investigators haven’t been able to access the inside of the house yet due to the structural damage caused by the fire.

“Five crews and an aerial appliance from Moulton attended the fire and quickly worked to extinguish the blaze which had started in the roof of the house.

“Three adults and one child were helped from the house by an off-duty firefighter. After an initial fire investigation, the fire is believed to have been started accidentally.”

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: “Emergency services are at the scene of a major house fire in Wellingborough which started shortly before 10.45am on Monday. At least four fire appliances are at the scene of the blaze, at a detached new -build property in Prospero Drive. Nobody is believed to be inside the property.

“Police have closed a number of roads in the immediate area of the blaze which is also blowing smoke across the nearby A509. Members of the public are being asked to avoid the area and to close windows to prevent smoke getting inside.” The properties on the estate were constructed by David Wilson Homes, a division of Barratt Redrow. A representative for the firm stated: “Our priority is supporting the residents affected, meanwhile we will provide any assistance required to the Fire Service as it investigates the cause of the fire.”