People living in a city street said they were ordered to evacuate their houses after a fire broke out in a family home.

Neighbours in Highland Road, just off Colman Road, recalled being told by police to leave their homes and seeing plumes of black smoke coming from one of the terraced properties.

They say a family of five lived in the house, including two teenage girls and an eight-year-old boy, and a man who lived alone in a separate part of the building.

Police were called by the fire service to assist with a building fire in Highland Road in Norwich at 11.45am on TuesdayPolice were called by the fire service to assist with a building fire in Highland Road in Norwich at 11.45am on Tuesday (Image: Newsquest)

Mike Clayton was helping decorate his granddaughter's house, a few doors down from where the fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon.

He said: "There was police and fire engines everywhere.

"They were fighting the fire at the time so it took about 40 minutes to get to the house - which had smoke coming through, as they're terraced.

"It's frightening because you don't know if it will happen again.

Mike Clayton said it's frightening because you don't know if it will happen againMike Clayton said it's frightening because you don't know if it will happen again (Image: Newsquest)

"The house on fire is split down the middle, with the family at the front of the house and the man at the back.

"God forbid the family couldn't get out - things could've been so much worse.

"It was worrying because there was so much black smoke coming out the top-floor windows."

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Jackie Hollings lives two doors down from the home and said: "I could hear loud banging from upstairs and then started to hear alarms.

Jackie Hollings said the whole incident was stressfulJackie Hollings said the whole incident was stressful (Image: Newsquest)

"I came downstairs and saw the fire engines everywhere and at that moment, police knocked on the door saying I had to evacuate.

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"It was all very stressful but emergency services managed to stop it from spreading.

"My neighbour said she spotted the fire and the man upstairs but he didn't seem like he was doing anything."

In the wake of the fire a man in his 30s was taken to hospital with 'non life-threatening injuries' and subsequently arrested on suspicion of arson.

One neighbour set up a GoFundMe to help buy essentials for the family such as food, toiletries, cleaning products and a bed.

A man in his 30s was taken to hospital with 'non life-threatening injuries' and subsequently arrested on suspicion of arsonA man in his 30s was taken to hospital with 'non life-threatening injuries' and subsequently arrested on suspicion of arson (Image: Newsquest)