Neighbour, Jess Keane's home was also affected by a fire on Greerton Rd. Photo/John Borren
Flames from a house fire on Greerton Rd last night smashed windows and melted the guttering of a neighbouring home.
Jess Keane, 33, said her partner Jimmy Robertson, 31, was in the bathroom when he saw flames coming from the house behind them just after 7pm.
"He heard people running around the house," said Miss Keane.
"He looked out the window and said the house was just black."
Miss Keane said her partner Jimmy jumped the fence to alert the men inside the home.
"One man said, everything was ok, 'we have it under control'. It wasn't."
Miss Keane's partner phoned the fire bridgade.
"We couldn't remember the neighbour's address so the firemen just came to our house.
"He was about to leave when we noticed the fire had reached our house. It was lucky he was still here because otherwise our house would've been gone."
Miss Keane rents her home with her partner and two children. She said she had met the people living in the home behind them.
"They are really lovely and quite nice. They used to pick the grass for our rabbits."
The three occupants, who rented the home, said they were preparing dinner in the kitchen when the fire started.
One of the men went to his bedroom at the other end of the house where he saw the flames.
"There was so much heat, it felt like my hair was burning."
The man shouted to the others, who thought they could control the fire by pouring water on the flames. The men then attempted to remove a gas cylinder from the home.
"But when the flames reached the walls we couldn't do anything."
All three men managed to escape the house and waited at the driveway for emeregency services to arrive.
The fire is now under investigation. A police officer refused to comment but confirmed there had been a fire.
When asked if the fire was suspicious he declined to comment.
Businesses say sales have dropped since the road was made one-way.