Neighbours have spoken of their shock after they were woken up by “loud explosions” as a fire tore through a coastal village.
At before 6.30 a.m. today (February 17), a fire at Winterton Hall in Winterton resulted in a “massive” explosion after a succession of smaller ones.
According to residents, flames immediately spread from the outbuilding in Spindrift Close to an adjacent burger van, igniting a gas canister and triggering a “massive explosion”.
The fire forced the evacuation of four neighboring homes, and Norfolk Police announced that they had detained a man in his twenties on suspicion of arson.
Lou Neville has been at her home in The Cobbleways, which backs onto the driveway to the hall, for just over a year.
She stated she was up with her husband at early to walk her dogs when she heard the explosion.
She was the one who first phoned the fire department.
“At about 6 a.m., my spouse and I were out going around the dark. As I stood outside my door preparing to go, I heard crackling.
“At first, I assumed it was a rat and yelled at my husband, ‘There might be a rat here’.
“Then the boom became very loud, and we could smell smoke. I called the fire department, and my husband raced around waking up the neighbors and begging them to come up.
“The hall where the fire occurred is hidden behind more than a dozen dwellings, all of which have oil tanks because the community lacks natural gas. So we were very scared.
“In a flash, the fire department arrived, and they were fantastic; I can’t tell you how quickly it happened, but it was lightning fast.
“In retrospect, it’s a good thing we were awake at the time and called the fire department right away since it might have easily spread and harmed so many homes.
One Cobbleways homeowner claimed that the “whole estate” could have burned down.
“It is unbelievably lucky that the fire was contained as if it spread to one person’s garden it might have gone crazy and the whole estate could have burned down,” according to the man.
“I’m surprised and relieved that it didn’t. The bungalows closest are largely occupied by elderly individuals who may have been murdered if their house had caught fire.”
One resident who lives on Spindrift Close, a road adjacent to the hall, stated, “I believed I was dreaming.
“I heard a couple of pops and bangs but didn’t think much of it until there was a loud bang.
“I sprang out of bed and saw smoke and flames; I wasn’t sure if it was one of the bungalows next door or not at first.
“It was very dramatic but the fire service was here quickly.”
One villager, who witnessed the explosion but requested anonymity, described how surrounding homes were covered in rubble.
The fire also destroyed two camper vans.
She stated, “We were jolted by a big explosion in our village. It looks that gas canisters exploded, destroying a brick building and showering surrounding buildings with bricks.
“There’s also two camper vans that are now bare metal that were caught in the blast and fire.”
Fire engines from Great Yarmouth, Gorleston, and Acle were dispatched and were on scene for approximately five hours.
Winterton Hall has rooms that are available for rental on Airbnb, and the owners live there.
A police cordon remains in place to limit public access to the premises while the active police investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 101 and quote 36J1/152/25.
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