Neighbour flees after blaze hits car wash

A woman was forced to flee her Kidderminster home after smoke from a fire at a nearby hand car wash firm spread to her property.

Terri Mahoney, aged 40, was asleep when the blaze first broke out at the premises in Broad Street last night.

Smoke from the fire, which is not believed to be suspicious, also spread to a nearby warehouse belonging to Victoria Carpets causing smoke damage. The cause of the fire, which happened around 10pm, is not yet known.

Mrs Mahoney was woken by a loud "crackling" sound and looked out the window to see "orange flames" coming from the car wash.

She ran outside and was joined by husband Terrence, aged 40, who had been in a nearby pub when he was told about the fire.

Mr Mahoney, a gas engineer, got fire extinguishers from his van and tried to stop the flames from coming near the outhouse at the back of the couple's home.

He said: "My wife was in bed and heard a loud crackling noise. She looked outside and all she could see was orange flames. There was a lot of smoke.

"I was in the pub at the time and called 999."