A DRIVER leapt from the cab of his van after it burst into flames and a road was cordoned off as firefighters tackled a property blaze caused by unattended cooking.

Both incidents happened within about an hour of each other less than a mile apart in Weymouth yesterday morning. No-one was injured but some pet birds died in the property fire.

Firefighters were first alerted to Cassiobury Road just before 8am where a campervan was alight.

It is believed to have flared up after the driver turned the key in the ignition.

The fire service received nine calls about the fire after residents heard an explosion.

The vehicle was left severely damaged. The cause is currently unknown but it is believed to have been as a result of an engine failure.

Resident Lisa Richmond: “I heard a big explosion and I looked out my window and the front end of this campervan was alight. There was lots of smoke in the air.

"The man said ‘all I did was turn the key.’ I was glad I didn’t park right in front of him. My car was parked a couple of spaces away."

Another resident said: "I just saw a lot of smoke. What people said happened was that he put the key in and the engine went and then it just went up in flames."

Crews were then alerted to Crescent Street shortly after 9am after a fire started on the second floor of a four-storey building.

The building was evacuated and the street was cordoned off as it was feared the fire could spread.

The property was searched after people were reported to be inside but it was then confirmed that everybody was accounted for.

Crews from Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester all attended. Police and paramedics also attended but there were no casualties. However, a number of pet birds died in the fire.

Crew manager at Dorset Fire and Rescue Service Martin Ryan said: "We were called to a property fire and on arrival there was smoke coming from the property and flames in the window."

The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen as a result of unattended cooking.

Mr Ryan said that residents in the property were alerted by smoke alarms.

Crescent Street resident Myles Hunt said: "All the sirens woke me up. I came out and saw smoke coming through a small vent in the window.

"They went in with breathing equipment and were probably in the house for five to ten minutes."

The room where the fire started suffered fire damage and there was smoke damage throughout the building.

Fire crews left the scene shortly after 10.30am when the road also re-opened.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said a 47-year-old woman had been arrested at the property at 8.17am yesterday morning on suspicion of harassment, in connection with an ongoing investigation.

The spokesman added that her arrest was not in connection to the fire, but she was taken away from the property where the fire took place.