A dramatic explosion rocked a Bradford area when a fire took hold in a house, thanks to a tea-light candle.

Bradley Street, in Frizinghall, was caught up in the drama when a blaze started in the home of a Slovakian family.

The intense fire, which firefighters say ignited in the kitchen, blew out a window and a door at the rear of the terraced property.

Jan Ziga, his wife and four children aged between four and 20, are said to have lived in the house. They have been left homeless by the blaze and are currently being looked after by the Red Cross. None of the family were injured in the fire.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said they heard an explosion and initially thought fireworks were going off. They added: “It was scary.”

Family friend Claudia Hrickova, who lives across from the Zigas, said she believed the fire on Thursday evening started when a tea-light candle caught some fake flowers in the kitchen.

She added: “I feel sorry for them. They just lit a small candle and did not expect this at all.”

Claudia, who said she had known the Zigas for about seven years, helped the distraught family rescue belongings from the house.

She said: “They were all crying because they had lost their things.

“We helped them bring stuff out, like TVs and laptops, anything important. Things like clothes and sofas are still in there.” The house is uninhabitable and the kitchen window and door at the rear of the property have been completely blown out. Another window at the back of the house is smashed.

Around the front, a partially-blackened pumpkin sits in front of a smoke-charred living room window, while all the upstairs windows are wide open for ventilation.

Next-door neighbour Heather Bannister said: “I saw flames coming out of the kitchen. It is scary when the house next door is on fire.”

Natalie Halliwell, who lives opposite the house, said: “My husband went upstairs to see what was going on and saw lots of black smoke. There were lots of people outside.”

Brian Davison lives at number one, the house the Ziga family formerly lived in.

He said: “I did not see any flames, I just saw the fire engines. I wondered what they were doing because they seemed to be there a long time.

“Then I saw the damage this morning.”

Firefighters from Shipley and Idle were called to the house at 5.55pm on Thursday. They were at the scene for two and a half hours.

Mike Titmarsh, Watch Commander at Shipley station, said the fire was started by an unattended tea-light candle.