TROOPS today risked their lives to enter a burning inferno and in a bid to remove a car from a blazing garage in Ipswich.

BY GEORGINA JAMES

georgina.james@eveningstar.co.uk

TROOPS today risked their lives to enter a burning inferno and in a bid to remove a car from a blazing garage in Ipswich.

The fire crew gambled with their own safety as they feared the vehicle could explode.

Elsewhere a man was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and burns after a fire in Downside Close, Ipswich.

During the incident involving the blazing garage RAF firefighters entered the flames and pushed the car out of the building in King's Way while colleagues tackled the fire head-on.

Occupants of four nearby houses were evacuated as a precaution as the risk of the car exploding was considered a real possibility.

The detached garage, which belonged to a property in Grove Lane, broke out at about 3.20am.

The owner of the house, who did not wish to be named, today praised the work of the stand-in firefighters.

He said: "They were very efficient and did a good job."

A spokesman for the ministry of defence said: "We first received a report to a house fire in Grove Lane.

"When the troops arrived they found that the blaze was actually in a detached garage which contained a car.

"The local commander assessed the situation and decided that the incident was quite risky and that the car was likely to explode and therefore decided to evacuate four nearby houses.

"The Breathing Apparatus Rescue Team (BART) went into the garage to push the car out while the crew of the Green Goddess tackled the blaze with water."

Earlier, at 12.30am troops were called to a flat fire in Downside Close,.

One Green Goddess and one BART attended the ground floor blaze.

A spokesman for the ministry of defence said: "The single occupant of the flat managed to raise the alarm before escaping the burning property.

"When the troops arrived the man was waiting outside and was suffering from smoke inhalation and was treated by paramedics while the crew put the fire out."

A spokesman for the East Anglian Ambulance Service confirmed that paramedics initially treated a man at the scene for smoke inhalation but after examination discovered a burn to his head and took him to Ipswich Hospital.