RESIDENTS were left terrified after a van burst into flames in their street.

The heat from the fire in Daubhill caused roofs to melt on a set of terraced houses in Essingdon Street on Friday evening.

Neighbour Nasir Ahmed caught the fire on video as it spread to the wall of his family home.

His family battled to save their property after 13-year-old nephew Bilal Ahmed alerted them to the blaze.

Mr Ahmed, aged 48, said: "He is a hero. My nephew came in and said there was a van behind the house with smoke coming from the bonnet. By the time I got there – it only took a minute – it was a fire ball.

"It was scary, my parents were panicking. My father was in the backyard with a hosepipe trying to keep the kitchen cool.

"Everyone was shocked. If that had happened in the middle of the night what would have happened then? It terrified everyone in the area."

The fire started in the white van in Back Essingdon Street just after 7pm.

It is believed the fire started in the front of the vehicle and the heat from the flames caused damage to homes nearby, including melting part of the rear roofs.

Fire crews were called to the scene – and Mr Ahmed has praised their quick response.

He adds: "The fire brigade were amazing. They were there in a few minutes and started dowsing the flames. There were a lot of exploding sounds coming from the car. There were lots of people there watching and filming it too. Luckily the crew told them to get back or it could have been a lot worse.

"Our back wall was black but it melted the plastic in next door's kitchen."

Fire crews stopped the blaze spreading to the rear of the van and ran safety checks on the neighbouring homes.

The cause of the fire has not yet been reported and police are investigating the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call Greater Manchester Police on 101.