Posted: 8:20 PM, July 19, 2022
Updated: 21:14, July 19, 2022
Firefighters are currently battling a large blaze in a west Norfolk village.
Crews were called to the fire in Brancaster Staithe at around 4.50pm, with at least five engines called to the scene.
The fire started in fields near the White Horse pub in the village, just off the A146 on the south side of the road.
People are now being evacuated from their homes in Brancaster Estate and nearby Burnham Deepdale after flames reached the gardens of homes on the A146.
Phil Hartshorn, who works at Staithe Smokehouse, said it was unlike anything the village had seen before, with sheds burnt to the ground.
He said: “It started small but then it got closer and closer to the homes.
“A couple of years ago we had a fire and we had some flooding issues, but we’ve never seen anything like this.”
Thick black smoke and flames could be seen from across the village at the height of the fire.
A Burnham Deepdale business owner said: “The fire was behind the homes opposite the White Horse pub.
“You could just see black smoke rising into the air.
“I could see the gardens were black from where they had been burnt.
“There were five or six fire trucks at the scene.
“People were evacuated and neighbors were handing out water and helping elderly people out of their homes.
“It’s really scary for something like this to happen in such a small village. You see it on the news and it happens in other places, but you never think it will happen to you.
“If anything, it was good to see people coming together and helping each other.”
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