FAMILIES evacuated from their homes during a major fire at an apartment block in Basingstoke have spoken of the moment they realised the building was on fire.

More than 80 firefighters tackled the blaze at the apartment block in Oakridge Road on May 27.

April Nethercliffe, 63, was looking after her 14-year-old granddaughter at the time the fire broke out at around 3pm.

READ MORE: Community unites in support of 24 families forced out of homes by Oakridge Road fire

She said: “I opened the balcony door and saw the smoke and thought ‘what’s going on’. It was bad. I thought we need to get out because I realised it was dangerous.”

The mother-of-one and grandmother-of-three had no time to gather any of her belongings. She rushed outside with her granddaughter to stand with others on the green to watch in horror as the flames took hold of the building.

“The whole area was engulfed in smoke. I came downstairs with my granddaughter and people gathered outside and the flames shot out of the roof. We went round to the back to be safe and the roof just caved in,” she said, adding: “I had no idea of whether I had a home left. Some people have lost everything. It’s not just things they have lost, it’s memories. It’s awful.”

While no one was injured in the fire, April said she heard of several families who have lost their pets.

Thankfully, April was able to go back into her apartment at 1am that night after firefighters carried out a safety check. Her apartment miraculously avoided any fire damage but is joined to those that have been cordoned off.

SEE ALSO: Photos show extent of damage caused by fire in Oakridge as barbecue rumours quashed

However, she is now hoping for answers and said: “I am very worried. I would like to know why it spread so quickly when there are meant to be fire barriers in between.

"We haven’t heard anything but there have been a lot of rumours. It took minutes to spread. One lady who lost her flat she was on the balcony and phoned the fire brigade and from the time she phoned them to the call ending the whole place was up in flames.”

Mother-of-one Tej Pun was also evacuated from her home. The 39-year-old carer said: “We thought someone was having a barbecue. The kids were here and saying there’s smoke. I said ‘don’t worry it’s probably just a barbecue’. Suddenly, about five to 10 minutes later we saw a big volume of fire and we thought ‘what’s going on’.

“We could hear shouting. We were so scared we went outside, we were so worried. I have never seen such a big fire.”

Alison Ramsay said she “panicked” when she saw the smoke and fled her home with a bag of belongings.

The 56-year-old, whose house backs onto the apartment block was at home with her son at the time and said: “Me and a friend were having a drink in the kitchen and we saw it start. We panicked. We went in the garden and the first house went up.

"I packed some stuff and put everything in the boot of the car. I packed a lot of rubbish because I was panicking. I was shaking.”

She added: “It spread literally within seconds. It went from the guttering and then up. We could see the flames in the next building and then we knew it was going up.

"The firefighters broke the windows. We have no back gates and that’s why they had to break the windows to get through to the back. It’s so scary how quickly it spread. It was like something out of a film, it was so surreal.”

The community pulled together to support those families evacuated, with The Oak pub welcoming people in for free food and drink.

A fundraising day is also being organised for June 10 to raise money for those who have lost belongings in the fire.

Lucy Blake, centre manager at Oakridge Hall for All, said: “The café opened and fed everyone and the local councillors pulled everyone together. It’s been amazing and overwhelming to see the community spirit. People just down tools to help and were here until 1am.”

She said many people are still in shock, adding: “It’s unimaginable. You don’t expect this to happen on your doorstep.”

Tony, landlord at The Oak, said the pub has been “the hub of the community”. He added: “We would like to extend our help to anyone who’s been displaced.”

Sam, who runs the pub with Tony, said: “Everyone wants to help but it’s difficult to know how.”

Basingstoke Voluntary Action has worked with the borough council to set up a fund for those who need help. This has now gone live through a Charities Aid Foundation donate page. Click here to donate.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, although it has quashed rumours circulating that it was caused by a barbecue on a balcony.