A FIRE which badly damaged a house in Yarm is being treated as accidental.

Firefighters were called to the blaze on Middleton Court, in Spitalfields, at about 1pm on Saturday.

No one was in the house at the time, but three crews from Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough and Stockton were sent to the scene as a precaution.

Watch manager at Coulby Fire Station Darren Farndale said the fire had been burning for some time when they arrived.

He said: “The fire had started in the living room of the house and had spread to the upstairs bedrooms.

“The occupants weren’t in at the time and it was well alight by the time we got there.”

Mr Farndale added that the fire is currently being treated as accidental.

Crews used three hose reel jets, a ventilator and thermal image camera.

They spent around an hour at the scene.

A large area in the downstairs of the property was destroyed by fire. The rest of the house was damaged by smoke.

A neighbour who raised the alarm said: “I was just watching TV when someone from across the road came over and said she could see smoke.

“I grabbed the phone and ran outside and as soon as I saw it I knew I needed to ring for help.

“I couldn’t see any flames but the smoke had really took hold of the house. It’s been boarded up now but you can still see how bad it was.”

The neighbour added: “I feel really sorry for them, we have been neighbours for many years and I just can’t imagine leaving the house one morning to then come home to this.”