MORE than 100 people were evacuated in the early hours of Monday morning after fears a fire would cause an explosion, in Winton, Bournemouth.
Firecrews believed oxyacetylene welding cylinders might be present and many people were moved to nearby Winton Methodist Church, just after 1am.
The blaze was in the back garden of the house on the corner and Hawthorn Road and Edgehill Road and the area was not given the all clear until around 6am.
A burned out shed and van were visible later in the morning, and two sheds next door were damaged.
Emma Lowrie, 28, a bank worker, said her two-year-old son Logan and four-year-old son Cameron thought it was "great fun."
An exhausted looking Phil Nicolaou, 22, an insurance broker, still dressed his pyjamas told the Echo: "You could hear the fire going off - it sounded like fireworks. You could feel the heat at 50 metres."
Product design students Ben Woodling and Luke Wilcox, both 21, both missed their 9am lecture. Luke said: "There were quite a few older people at the church but they seemed fine."
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