THREE Droitwich families had to be found emergency housing after their homes were hit by a fire.

The fire is thought to have been started by one of the residents, who had been welding in the evening of Sunday, July 6 in an outbuilding near St Richard’s Gardens in Droitwich. Sparks are thought to have spread to the nearby flats, where they smouldered and eventually caught fire.

The fire service was alerted to the blaze just after 1am on the morning of Monday, July 7, and three families were evacuated from the building, as the fire spread through the first floor and roof space affecting three properties.

Firefighters removed a section of the roof tiles to gain access to the fire, and the mains gas was disconnected while the fire was dealt with.

Two of the affected properties were owned by Wychavon District Council, which secured emergency accommodation for the residents.

No-one was hurt in the blaze, which was fully extinguished by 5am, and firefighters gave it a further inspection later in the day.