A Ryhall family have shared their experience following a house fire allegedly caused by part of a solar panel.

The local community came to the help of a young family when a fire took hold on their property this weekend.

In the early hours of Saturday 8 July, a house fire broke out at a property on Foundry Road.

Homeowner and mother, Victoria, has told the story of her experience to Oakham Nub News: "The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning, when my husband was woken by sound of banging and popping. He opened the back door to see the grass alight and when looked around the corner the shed was well alight.

"The fire spread so quickly - engulfing the fence, spreading to the outer edges of the house and a neighbours friends car."

A Ryhall blaze had caused serve damage to a home. Image credit: Victoria.

Neighbours and fire crews jumped into action, supporting the family while the Stamford Fire and Rescue services doused the flames.

The Leicestershire Fire and Rescue team arrived shortly after, and helped get the blaze under control and manage the situation, that had drawn interest from concerned neighbours.

Victoria continued: "I dread to think what would have happened if the fire brigade were five minutes longer as it was so frightening how quickly it spread.

"If my husband hadn't been sleeping downstairs due to me having a really annoying cough, or if we hadn't had working fire alarms it could have been so different. We were all none the wiser and dread to think how serious it could have been."

A local blaze took light quickly in dry conditions. Image credit: Victoria.

Since the blaze, the fire investigation team have visited the property to try and ascertain the cause of the fire, which they believe was caused by a solar panel motion sensor light that was being stored in the shed.

Victoria explained: "The investigator found the blown lithium battery and said can develop thermal runaway and get extremely hot very quickly, resulting in fire. The fact that it was in a tinder dry shed, next to a wooden fence and a car with fuel in has increased the ferocity of the fire.

"This was a very scary experience for a young family, but is a reminder to check your smoke alarms."

Victoria and her family are safe and well following a blaze at their home in Ryhall. Image credit: Victoria.

The Ryhall family have thanked the services and community for their support.