BUXTON FIRE: Eyewitness account from evacuee

Firefighters tackling the blaze at Hardwick Mount in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Picture by Tom Carter.

She was one of 21 peopletold to leave their homes after a house on Hardwick Mount, Buxton, caught fire.

Jo Charles of Hardwick Square North said: “When we left we walked passed the fire and it was a phenomenal blaze.

“There was bright red flames coming out of the roof.

“The windows had blown out on the top floor and the flames were so high.”

Emergency services were called to the property at 9.10pm on Tuesday, November 22 however Jo did not go out until just after 11pm to have a look.

She said: “There was lots of smoke and so many emergency services in the street.” Four fire engines and two aerial platforms were sent to the scene. At the height of the incident, 30 firefighters from Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Whaley Bridge, Bakewell and Chesterfield were in attendance.

At just after 4am on today, Wednesday, she heard a banging at the back of her home and a fire officer was telling her to get up and leave.

The 66-year-old said: “It felt surreal. It all happened very quickly.

“I was half dressed and went outside to get my neighbours up who have a little baby and when the firemen came to the front I left him banging on their door and I went to get changed.” The evacuees were taken to Buxton police station and Jo, who lives with her son Tom Carter, said it was a strange experience.

She said: “We all felt a bit like refugees. We couldn’t go anywhere until we told the police we were leaving so they knew we were safe but there wasn’t many places we could go at that time so we were just hanging around.” No one has been hurt in the fire which Jo said was extremely luckily.

It is not yet clear what caused the fire but a joint investigation by the fire service and police is currently taking place.

Four people have been temporarily re-housed at Queen’s Court and as of this afternoon Jo does not know when she will be allowed back home.