A COUPLE took on a blaze that spread from the garage through their house in Colchester.

The man, who suffered minor burns to his arms, and the woman, were both treated in hospital for smoke inhalation after the fire at their house in Fernlea, off Bergholt Road.

Neighbour Ashley Gray said: “There was a lot of flames and smoke billowing out from the garage.

“The fire had started there and the flames had ripped through it, spreading to the house before the fire brigade got there.

“It was a losing battle for them from then on.”

Three crews of firefighters, with support from the specialist urban search and rescue team tackled the blaze, which is believed to have started accidentally. The householder tried to put out the fire himself before the fire crews arrived.

Leading firefighter Peter Goody, from Blue Watch at Colchester fire station, said: “I was on the first appliance and the garage was like an inferno when we got there. We ran a jet off and attempted to put that out straight away.

“There was a door to the side of the house and the flames had spread up into the house through there.

“The flames were licking at the fence and the roof of the house next door, but we made sure it didn’t spread any further.”

Firefighters in breathing apparatus went into the house to fight flames, which had spread to two bedrooms, while colleagues propped up the house’s walls.

Mr Goody said: “The damage inside is not too bad, because with houses built like that, the floor above the garage is designed to withstand heat, and it stood up well.

“But the heat was so intense the brickwork was bowing, and we called out the urban search and rescue team to shore up the walls.”

The man and woman, who were out of the house when firefighters arrived, were taken to Colchester General Hospital by ambulance for treatment.

Firefighters remained at the scene for four hours on Sunday afternoon, damping down and clearing items from the garage to make sure the fire was completely out.