Nothing but smoke': Neighbours describe dramatic Ipswich house fire as roof collapses
Fire service says everyone inside has been accounted for
Last updated 16th Oct 2026
Six fire engines were sent to Henniker Road this morning (16 October), after a fire broke out at one property before spreading to the neighbouring house.
Both roofs were affected by the blaze, with one collapsing.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that everyone inside the properties had been accounted for.
Speaking to us at the scene, Station Manager Simon Patterson said one resident had received medical attention.
"In terms of casualties, we've had one male occupant that was treated by ambulance crews on scene and has gone to hospital for a preliminary checkover."
The extent of any injuries has not been confirmed.
Firefighters were called at around 5.17am, with crews from Ipswich East, Ipswich Princes Street, Woodbridge, Holbrook, Stowmarket and Needham Market attending.
'I could see nothing but smoke'
Neighbours described waking to an overwhelming smell of smoke, loud bangs and flames coming from the affected properties.
Stephen Appleton, who lives nearby, said his wife initially woke at around 4am after noticing what she believed was a bonfire.
He said he woke an hour later and immediately realised something more serious was happening.
"I woke up about five, really strong smell of smoke, like something's definitely not, it's not just a bonfire, that's something serious," he said.
"So we went to look out the back bedroom window, could see nothing but smoke."
Mr Appleton said the smoke obscured his view before he went outside and saw flames coming from the roof and rear of the property.
He described how close the flames came to neighbouring homes.
"The fact that it was that close to burning your own house down was quite worrying," he said.
"But when it's that close and you can really smell the smoke, it really gets in the back of your lungs."
Mr Appleton said he watched the fire spread towards the adjoining roof, with sparks coming from electrical cables.
Neighbours describe panic
Another resident, Fiona, said she initially thought something was burning inside her own home when she noticed smoke.
She went to investigate before looking through an upstairs window and seeing flames outside a neighbouring property.
"I see all flames in his garden and banging," she said.
"So that's when I ran out the front of garden and called 999."
She said other neighbours were also contacting the emergency services and checking whether residents had escaped.
"Oh, panic. Panic. I was panicking," she recalled.
"I thought, is he going to be in there? Is he out?"
Fiona said she found a resident outside the affected property.
Although debris had landed in her garden, she said her main concern was for the people whose homes had been damaged.
"My garden's a mess where all the debris has come over to my garden," she explained.
"But that's nothing, is it, compared to what he's got going through."
Lisa, who lives opposite and asked not to give her surname, said she was woken by loud bangs before hearing a neighbour shouting outside.
She described how residents came together to check on those living in the affected houses.
Lisa said firefighters arrived quickly and expressed relief that those inside had been accounted for.
Firefighters faced risk of further collapse
Station Manager Simon Patterson confirmed that six fire engines attended, alongside an aerial appliance and command vehicle.
"When the initial crews arrived, they were met with a well-developed fire in one of the properties that subsequently spread into a second property," he said.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the blaze, while an aerial ladder platform was used to reach the affected roofs.
Mr Patterson said the equipment was particularly important because of the potential danger posed by the damaged structures.
"We can work at height safely and can cover a large area of the roof from height so that we don't have to put crews into the building," he explained.
"Certainly from this incident we know we've got risk of building collapse."
He confirmed that the roof of one property had already collapsed and said further assessments would be needed to establish the condition of the building.
"The actual integrity of the property will need to be assessed by structural engineers," he said.
Gas and electricity supplies isolated
The fire service also confirmed that gas and electricity supplies had been isolated at the two affected properties to protect emergency crews.
UK Power Networks engineers were working alongside firefighters, with efforts to restore electricity to other affected homes when safe to do so.
Mr Patterson said road closures had also been necessary while the emergency response continued.
He thanked members of the public for their patience and cooperation.
Firefighters used specialist equipment including thermal imaging cameras, breathing apparatus, an aerial ladder platform, hose reels and hydrants to tackle the blaze.
Mr Patterson explained that crews would continue checking the damaged properties for hotspots after bringing the main fire under control.
"So the fire is certainly under control and it will, because of the nature of how and what's been involved, there will be a number of hours where the crews will now do what we call hot spotting," he said.
The fire service confirmed that the stop message was issued at 12.06pm.
Investigation underway
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that an investigation into the cause of the blaze is underway.
The cause has not yet been established.
Mr Patterson urged residents to check their smoke alarms and make sure they are working.
"We're really keen that people check their smoke alarms and check that they're working to ensure if they have an incident in their house they can get out and they're alerted safely," he said.
Reflecting on the incident, neighbour Stephen Appleton said watching the fire unfold had left him feeling helpless.
"You've just got to wait for everyone to do their job and they come out really quickly and they put the fire under control really quickly," he said.
"But you're just sort of helpless."
"You've just got to hope that nothing else burns down with it really."