A garage owner has described the "gut wrenching" moment he had to tell his customers their cars had been destroyed in a fire which ripped through his workshop.

Dad-of-two Danny Russell stood helpless as a huge blaze tore through his auto repair shop, DR Car Repairs in Birchwood Road, Dartford.

The huge blaze saw eight fire engines called to the scene last Monday.

At the height of the incident, smoke could be seen in nearby Joydens Wood and the main road was shut off for hours while crews fought back the flames.

Garage boss Danny, who lives in Gravesend with his family, had been working on site when a member of his team informed him of the blaze.

"I went outside and had a look around and embers were coming down on top of me," he explained.

"I have never seen fire spread so fast and so quickly, it was a nightmare."

Initially the fire appeared some way away but the wind soon blew it in the direction of his business, explained Danny.

"I was trying to stamp some of the fire out with my foot," he added. "I used all my fire extinguishers but they didn't really do anything."

The garage boss threw buckets of water in an attempt to douse the flames but they had already spread to nearby caravans containing gas cylinders.

It was at the point he started to hear explosions that Danny began to fear for his safety and others and knew he had to leave.

"I thought I'm going to lose my life if I stay here trying to stop it from spreading," he added.

Everything was destroyed in the blaze including thousands of pounds worth of tools and equipment and vehicles belonging to clients.

"I thought I'm going to lose my life if I stay here trying to stop it from spreading"

The firm, which Danny had steadily built from scratch over several years, also had a contract with a private ambulance firm but fortunately none of their vehicles were on-site.

"Having to make that phone call to tell my customers their cars had been damaged or completely gone in a fire was gut wrenching but they were all very understanding," Danny added.

"You put your heart and soul into building your own business and you do everything you can to save it.

"It is like having your own child, you have raised it and built it up into what it is."

It's come at the worst possible time for the dad-of-two who welcomed son Henry with his partner just four months ago. They also have daughter Olivia, aged three.

"The insurance is going though as we speak but it is a long process," he added.

"We were looking forward to taking that next step and moving to another place. I'm just hoping it does not take too long to get back on my feet and relocate."

In the meantime, friend Michaela Palmer has set up a GoFundMe page to help Danny and his family while they await news from the investigation.

Nearly £1,300 has been raised for the businessman and his family at the time of writing.

Danny is grateful and that the the support of his friends, family, other small businesses and the local community has brought "tears to his eyes".

He added: "A lot of people have offered vans and tools and a couple of friends said when we have found a new place they will help me to build another office free of cost.

"The support we have had has been amazing. It has kept my morale and my spirit up."

Videos shared online showed several vehicles including a caravan ablaze on the site located behind the Ashlea Nursery florist and several detached homes.

Cars belonging to vintage collectors on-site were also reportedly destroyed.

Speaking last week, car enthusiast Barry Osborne told KentOnline: "There is quite a few of us down there doing bits with our cars.

"The same thing happened around two-and-a-half-years ago."

A spokesman for Kent Fire & Rescue Service said: "The cause for this one has not been established."