TWO fire crews from Minehead were called when a blaze broke out in the garden of a Blue Anchor property backing onto woodland.

The alarm was raised when Peter Conrad and his wife Meg were enjoying afternoon tea and smelled smoke and spotted flames rising from a neighbour’s garden in Wood Lane.

Mr Conrad made a 999 call before tackling the burning fence with the neighbour’s hosepipe, while Mrs Conrad released two dogs from an adjacent kennel and moved them to safety.

A chicken run was also close to the fire, with flames reaching more than than six feet high which destroyed about 32 feet of fencing and hedgerow.

Some of the damage caused when fire broke out in the back garden of a Blue Anchor property close to a one-acre wood.
Some of the damage caused when fire broke out in the back garden of a Blue Anchor property close to a one-acre wood. (Contributed)

The firefighters quickly put out the blaze with a hose reel jet and damped down the surrounding area.

The cause was identified as a garden incinerator close to the fence while the neighbours were away, and the brigade incident commander confirmed the couple’s prompt actions had prevented a far more serious fire from developing.

Mr Conrad said: “There is a one‑acre wood behind the garden with tinder dry undergrowth after the heat and drought.

“Although one ash tree suffered burns to its bark, fortunately, the fire did not spread.”

Mrs Conrad said: “I was so concerned about the safety of the dogs and chickens as the flames were getting closer and closer to them, but I led them to a safer area of the garden.”

The fire on July 23 was one of 33 incidents to which Minehead firefighters were called during the month, taking the six-month total to 163.

The July calls included eight fires in the open, a road traffic collision, one involving hazardous material, one rescue from a lift, and six to gain entry to properties.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said July had been the brigade’s busiest month in 10 years.