A man has said he feels like he has lost everything after his home went up in flames.

Peter Biggs, from Cliffe, had been tinkering with his beloved motorbike in his adjoining garage when a fire broke out that ended up destroying half his house.

The dad-of-two said: “I had been working on my bike and I thought it would be a good idea to drain the petrol tank.

"I had done it before and it’s not that difficult - I even had the garage door open for ventilation, but it obviously wasn’t good enough.

“It was all going tickety-boo but then there was a huge flash and a bang.

“It made me jump and that’s when I dropped the petrol tank and everything just went up.

“There were explosions that sounded like gun fire - it was the tyres exploding.

“It was so fast and vicious, I couldn’t believe it.

“You don’t realise how quick it all happens.”

The sheet metal worker ran inside the house to get some water in an attempt to put out the fire.

The 59-year-old added: “I don’t know why I did it, but I ran into the house, got some water and went back into the garage to try and put it out. That’s when I got burnt.”

Mr Biggs suffered burns to his left hand and forehead.

At the time of the fire, his wife Louise was out shopping with their daughter and was told the news over the phone.

Mr Biggs said: “When I called Louise to let her know what had happened, she was hysterical.

"She was never a lover of my bike anyway so that was terrible.

“Saturday marked our 12th anniversary in that house and we had just finished doing it up. Everything we had was new and now it’s all gone.

“It’s horrendous. My bike was my hobby, I’ve lost everything and more importantly we have lost our home.

“It could have been so much worse if it wasn’t for my son-in-law, Jet, and my neighbours, Matthew and Neil.

“They climbed over the back gate and managed to get my two little dogs out and shut the kitchen door, which stopped the fire from spreading through the downstairs of the house.

"There were explosions that sounded like gun fire - it was the tyres exploding... it was so fast and vicious, I couldn't believe it" - Peter Biggs

“They turned the gas off as well and got my next door neighbour out of her garden.

“I can’t thank them enough for their help, it was unbelievable.”

It happened on Saturday at 4.30pm. At its height, six fire engines were there.

Crews worked tirelessly for two hours to extinguish the flames.

Mr Biggs said: “The firefighters were great. As a team of them were putting the fire out another group of them were covering up my furniture to try to protect it as much as they could.

“I am so thankful for them.

“Everybody in the community has come together to help us, whether it be offering us food, clothes, accommodation and they all mean it. Everybody has been marvellous.

“Even the owners of the Six Bells pub have put us up, fed and watered us.

“The community spirit is amazing. Thank you to everyone who has helped us.

“It has been an awful experience but I know Louise and I will bounce back soon enough.”

• A JustGiving page has been set up for the family via bit.ly/loubiggs