Students 'leap from windows' after blaze sparked by candle guts their Bournemouth home

Fire crews were called to a property in Holdenhurst Road shortly before 2.45am.

The students, who attend Bournemouth University, were treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation and shock.

The blaze started after a candle was left burning in a bedroom.

Rhiannon Binnington, 20, lives in the property next door. She and her housemates were awoken at around 3am.

"Someone was hammering on our door and screaming at us to get out," she said.

"Everyone was outside in pyjamas. No one had their shoes on.

"We stood on the corner watching. The flames were higher than the roof."

Firefighters initially believed there may still be people sleeping in the house.

However, all residents were outside by the time crews arrived.

Rhiannon, who attends Arts University Bournemouth, said: "One of the girls said she'd fallen asleep with a candle burning.

"I heard the smoke in the corridors was so bad that they had to jump of windows to get out."

Dave Stig, who lives directly opposite the scene of the fire, said he heard screams and a loud bang.

"It was like something out of a film," he said.

"It was awful. The whole building was engulfed in flame."

Mr Stig saw the residents of the burning house trying to wake up their neighbours.

"They were banging on the door. People were outside without coats and shoes," he said.

"My partner saw someone out there in his underwear."

One of the students had a car in the drive. When asked to move it, Mr Stig said the student appeared to be in shock.

"He was sitting in this car with the windscreen wipers on for a while," he said.

"They've lost everything. I feel terrible for them.

"I couldn't sleep thinking about them having seen their home burn."

This morning, the front door and ground-floor windows had been boarded up. A wheelie bin left outside the property had melted.

Students affected by the fire are meeting with the university's residential team, who will help them to find alternative accommodation.

Julian Lockwood of the fire service said: “A candle had been left burning on a dressing table in the downstairs bedroom, and this set the curtains alight. 

"The occupant was woken by the heat of the fire and quickly left the room. As the smoke then reached the hallway, the smoke alarms went off and the other tenants were alerted and also escaped safely.

“This is the second fire in Bournemouth within a week to be caused by unattended candles, and I would urge people to never leave candles burning when they go out of the room or go to sleep.

"There are LED options which provide the same visual effect but are much safer.”