Eyewitnesses have described the “scary” moment a huge shed blaze destroyed their neighbour’s garden and threatened to engulf their homes too.

Firefighters were called to Holcombe Road, Chatham at around 2.30pm on Saturday (March 30) and spent three hours fighting back the flames.

A spokesperson for the fire service said the blaze is believed to have started accidentally due to an electrical fault within a shed.

Neighbour Hattie Tink was in her room getting ready for a night out when she saw smoke suddenly turn to flames outside the window.

The 21-year-old alerted her mother Angela Tink, who called the fire brigade and, alongside other quick-thinking neighbours, began hosing down the flames coming from the garden shed next door.

Hattie told KentOnline: “I could feel the heat from my back door and then the noise of the crackling and swirling where it was getting hotter – it was awful.

“All the decking, the shed, the outside lights, their backdoor, the window, their vents, our neighbour’s trampoline, our neighbour’s fence - they are all destroyed.

“The fire brigade said it was literally a minute away from catching fire to the house.”

The Tinks, who live one door down from the bungalow whose shed caught alight, say it was a lucky escape.

They have since emphasised the importance of community after sharing how having a key to their neighbour’s home proved incredibly useful in assisting the efforts of firefighters at the scene.

The family that lives at the affected property had left for a holiday to Cornwall earlier that morning and were not inside at the time of the blaze.

Fortunately, Angela Tink had a spare key to the home and went into the property to remove the animals inside, in case the fire spread, as well as giving fire crews access upon arrival.

Hattie added: “All of us as a neighbourhood are affected by it – it makes you appreciate life and not take things for granted.

“We all realised how close we are as a neighbourhood and to be appreciative the fact that we all talk, and we are close because there’s nothing worse than not talking to your neighbours and saying ‘I don’t have their number’ or ‘I don’t have their keys’.

“I genuinely believe if it had of been a couple of minutes later it could have been a different story.”

Tina Flowers, 43, was one of the residents who assisted by spraying water from her garden hose when she saw the flames and called the ordeal “very scary”.

Her son, William Mengual, 18, a mechanical apprentice, called the fire brigade to give them information about the lithium batteries which he knew were in the shed.

He also warned bystanders to get inside their homes due to the damage flying batteries can cause.

His brother, Josh, 16, described seeing lithium batteries flying over into the garden at 60mph.

The fire service said there were no reported injuries.

All the the neighbours KentOnline spoke to said they will work with the family to clear up the garden upon their return home.

Firefighters declared their response complete at 4.11pm on March 30.