THIRTY people were evacuated early this morning after police feared a fire at nearby petrol station could blow up their homes.

Officers told residents to leave their houses near the Total petrol station in Snakes Lane East in Woodford Green, shortly before 3am this morning (December 23).

The blaze engulfed the garage's car wash and spread to the petrol station roof, but firefighters stopped it from igniting the fuel pumps.

No-one was injured but police closed a number of surrounding roads to traffic as a precaution. The fire was brought under control just before 4am, and residents returned home shortly after.

Kathleen Imber, 42, of Kilby Terrace, was alerted to the fire by her 15-year-old son Ryan.

She said: “It was very frightening. What would have happened if the petrol pumps had gone up? My whole house would have probably burnt down.

“It was freezing cold and we didn't know how long we'd have to be there.

“But the police were lovely about it, they were really helpful.”

Her son Ryan said: “I was awake at the time and I first noticed the blue lights flashing outside.

“At first I thought it might have been a crash or something, because there have been a few along this road, but then I saw the smoke.”

Mum-of-three Brenda Barnard, 42, also of Kilby Terrace, said: “When the police knocked on the door they asked if there were any children in the house, and I said I had a baby and two more upstairs.

“The police let all the young kids sit in the back of their cars. There was about six children and a few adults in one.

“It was very scary. The first thing you think about is your kids, you don't want anything to happen to them.”

However, some residents took the drama of the situation in their stride.

Henry Davis, 54, lives in Lawrence Court, directly behind the service station. He said: “Some people like to hang around when these sorts of things happen and watch, but I'm not one of them.

“I just got in my car and drove away, but I didn't rush. I thought, 'If it's going to go up, it's going to go up'.”