A FAMILY had a lucky escape on Sunday morning as an inferno destroyed the house next door in a possible arson attack.

Martyn Lucas, his daughter Bella, five, and his partner Sini Lehtinen are staying with his parents, Brian and Marie, while they finalise a house purchase.

Martyn said: “I heard a bang at 4.30am when the front door exploded. I woke everyone up and came outside and called the fire brigade.”

While the fire-hit half of the semi-detached homes was gutted by the blaze, firefighters managed to save the half belonging to the Lucas family.

Brian added: “We got everybody out. The fire brigade were amazing; we never expected to see it standing, not with the intensity of the fire.”

The family was helped by Red Cross volunteers in the remote village of Ibberton, west of Blandford and south of Sturminster Newton.

Brian said: “We were stood over the road watching and were expecting it to burn down, but it didn’t.”

Witnesses said they saw a man on the ground next to a van near the burning house. Ambulances attended and the man was taken to hospital. Nobody was in the house at the time of the fire.

Villagers rallied round to provide tea and biscuits to those affected and to the fire and police crews.

Resident Kay Old said: “At about 5am I was woken up by a popping noise and at first I thought it was my own house on fire.

“I looked out and it was just ablaze.”

A joint investigation between the fire and police services into the cause of the blaze at the house close to Ibberton and Belchalwell Village Hall is now underway.

Steve Underhill, station manager for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We were called by neighbours to a property fire.

“It was well established when we arrived.”

Firefighters from around the county were called at around 4.45am, with three crews initially despatched before a further three were called when the severity of the blaze became clear.

Mr Underhill added: “The whole house was involved in fire when they arrived and they worked extremely hard to prevent the fire spreading to the adjoining property, which they achieved.”

He said it took three hours to bring the intense blaze under control.

Crews remained on the scene throughout yesterday damping down, while police and fire investigators examined the house.