GIVE them all the money they want.That was the message from a fire victim today after firefighters saved his house from going up in flames.David Smy, of Dallinghoo Road, Wickham Market, is full of praise for the heroes who turned out to his property at 2am after an overheated extension lead is believed to have started a fire in his garage.

GIVE them all the money they want.

That was the message from a fire victim today after firefighters saved his house from going up in flames.

David Smy, of Dallinghoo Road, Wickham Market, is full of praise for the heroes who turned out to his property at 2am after an overheated extension lead is believed to have started a fire in his garage.

"The firefighters were incredible. Tell them they can have all the money they want. I have got all the time in the world for these men and women. They do a wonderful job."

Two garages were completely destroyed in the blaze as well as part of the paintwork of one house which was scorched, and a window cracked from the intensity of the heat.

Mr Smy, who should be celebrating his 51st birthday today, said he was woken by a loud banging noise and believed an intruder was breaking into his home.

"My power had gone off and I thought someone had cut my supply and was in the house. I then stuck my head out of the window and my garage was alight with flames – I thought perhaps a firework had hit my garage or something," he said.

He added: "We are lucky the fire service got here so quickly as who knows what would have happened – it's not worth thinking about."

The cause of the fire is understood to have started in an extension lead which Mr Smy had been using the day before.

"The firefighters believe the heat had been contained within the coil of the lead," said Mr Smy.

Mr Smy said he had unplugged the lead and had switched the plug off nine hours earlier.

Jackie Miller, 49, who lives next door and whose garage was also destroyed, said: "It was very scary. The front of the garages were glowing. You could see the flames right through the garage door."

Neighbours rallied together to help Mr Smy and his 14-year-old son Kevin by dowsing water on the side of the properties, using garden hoses, in order to stop the flames taking hold of the house.

Two crews from Woodbridge and Framlingham attended the fire and had to remove a butane gas cylinder from one of the garages. Firefighters were at the scene for one hour and 40 minutes.

N Ambulance Trust invests in new equipment after fears of fire strike - page 4