0:00:02 > 0:00:04A close call... A moment of danger
0:00:04 > 0:00:06when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:06 > 0:00:07Oh, my God!
0:00:07 > 0:00:11A split second where the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13If he's alive, it's going to be a miracle, really.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19He was shouting, "Don't die, Mummy!"
0:00:19 > 0:00:23These are the people who have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26I thought he'd broken his neck.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Their instincts and resources,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31coupled with the quick thinking of others,
0:00:31 > 0:00:32helped to pull them through.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35We were just engulfed in flames.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39And their dramatic experiences were recorded on camera.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40Jimmy, are you all right?
0:00:40 > 0:00:41'I wasn't going to be coming up.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:43It was curtains. It was over.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45It's a day they'll never forget.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47The day they had...a close call.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Today, on Close Calls...
0:01:06 > 0:01:10A couple asleep in their beds get a terrifying delivery
0:01:10 > 0:01:11from a Royal Mail lorry,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14which smashes through the front of their home.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18I heard a crash and then an almighty collision.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I suppose it was just a matter of seconds,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22but it seemed to go on forever.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29And a top water ski jumper hits the takeoff ramp at 70mph.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34His approach is wrong. His skis splay.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37He hurtles towards the water at breakneck speed,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40and he knows he's in big trouble.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43When you stop from going that fast to that slow,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45it's like crashing your car into a wall.
0:01:47 > 0:01:48Also...
0:01:48 > 0:01:52A car in flames in a driveway threatens to engulf a home.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55An explosion shocks the driver.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57- BANG - BLEEP!
0:01:57 > 0:01:58He dials 999.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Fareham, Hampshire.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Firefighters attempt to remove a 7.5 tonne lorry
0:02:16 > 0:02:18from a couple's front room.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22It's veered across a main road, crashing into the house.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25The owners were in bed in the room above.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27It was like an earthquake.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Walls just started cracking in front of me.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32All we heard was the neighbours scream,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34"Are you all right? Are you all right?"
0:02:34 > 0:02:36But they are not all right.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Len Wiles and his wife, Ann, are trapped in their bedroom.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Part of the stairs have been ripped out
0:02:41 > 0:02:43and the entire building is in danger of collapse.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45They can only sit and wait
0:02:45 > 0:02:49while rescue workers figure out a way to get them out before it falls.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Temperature is about 70.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Retired couple Len and Anne Wiles
0:02:59 > 0:03:03have lived in their modern three-bed home for just over a year.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05But because of Anne's recent health problems,
0:03:05 > 0:03:06they've decided to sell up and
0:03:06 > 0:03:11are looking forward to moving into a new house more suited to her needs.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14But those plans are about to suffer a dramatic set-back.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16It is nearly 6am on a Wednesday.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Ann and Len are tucked up in bed.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21I would normally be up, but I had a bit of a cold.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24I hadn't slept that well, anyway.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27I was going to get up, go downstairs as normal. Make a cup of tea.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29But I didn't.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31So I got up out of bed and I thought, "Oh, I'm tired,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34"I'll sit on the edge of the bed for five minutes."
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Any other day, I would have been downstairs, in the lounge.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It is a slight change in the routine, but a bigger one is coming.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Then I heard a crash, which I thought was on the main road.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49And then an almighty collision.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56And I heard a rumbling and crushing noise.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I suppose it was just a matter of seconds,
0:03:59 > 0:04:00but it seemed to go on forever.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Our roller blind shot across my head.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06And I don't understand what was happening.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09And then suddenly Len said, "What the hell was that?"
0:04:09 > 0:04:11He went out onto the landing.
0:04:11 > 0:04:17The next thing I heard him saying, "Oh, no, no!" And starting to cry.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19"Oh, my God. Oh, my God!" he was saying.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23And then we see a Royal Mail lorry, a 7.5 tonne Royal Mail lorry,
0:04:23 > 0:04:24which was in the lounge, basically.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Moments earlier, the lorry had been travelling along the main road
0:04:30 > 0:04:32towards the couple's home.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Because of the early hour, there is very little traffic about.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39The lorry suddenly veers across the road, mounts the pavement
0:04:39 > 0:04:41and crashes through a driveway wall.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46It ploughs on, hitting Anne and Len's parked car, spinning it round
0:04:46 > 0:04:48before smashing into their house,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50ending up with the driver's cab in their lounge.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55All the banister and that was all gone.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57And everywhere on the landing.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01And there was a gaping hole in the stairs.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04From the landing, I was looking down on top of his cab.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08You could just smell all the fumes and everything coming up.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13And my first thought was, "I wonder if the lorry driver is OK."
0:05:13 > 0:05:18Miraculously, he is. Although a bit dazed, the driver appears unhurt.
0:05:18 > 0:05:19I did see the driver get out.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22And he was just muttering, "I don't know what happened."
0:05:22 > 0:05:28And the next thing is we heard neighbours outside shouting.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31"Anne, Len, are you all right? Are you OK?"
0:05:31 > 0:05:35They are uninjured, but Anne and Len are still in serious danger.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Most of the staircase has been smashed away.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41It is an eight-foot drop onto the rubble below.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44They are trapped upstairs, in their own home.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49We hadn't realised at first the seriousness of the cracks
0:05:49 > 0:05:51and all that in the wall,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55how dangerous it was. It could collapse at any time.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Later, fire crews to the rescue.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03But getting Anne and Len safely out of the property is going to be
0:06:03 > 0:06:05a risky business.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08The main risk was if we make the staircase collapse, that may
0:06:08 > 0:06:12then push the end wall out, which may then collapse the roof as well.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15Coming up...
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Matt bought himself a car yesterday.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20He has just parked on his driveway. And now...this.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23- BANG - BLEEP!
0:06:23 > 0:06:26The fire is threatening his home.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29I thought, "Any minute now, the bay window is going to shatter."
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Hazelwood Ski World in Lincoln.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Spectators capture the shocking moment competitive water skier
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Will Critchley hits a ramp at 70mph,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50takes off and loses his balance...
0:06:50 > 0:06:52with devastating consequences.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Will's brother Jack, a fellow skier, is watching on in shock.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02You kind of just hope for the best -
0:07:02 > 0:07:03that he didn't have a broken back
0:07:03 > 0:07:06or was paralysed for the rest of his life.
0:07:16 > 0:07:1925-year-old Will Critchley comes from a family
0:07:19 > 0:07:21of passionate water skiers.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Growing up in Scunthorpe with support from his parents,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27his three brothers all excelled at the high-speed sport.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31But Will - that's him on the left, age 15 - was a late bloomer
0:07:31 > 0:07:33and only got into it seven years ago.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36My brothers have water skied from a very young age.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40I didn't take it up until I wanted to go on holiday
0:07:40 > 0:07:43to visit my brother, cos he lives in America.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46So I just took it up from there. Enjoyed it, loved it...
0:07:46 > 0:07:48And that's how I got into it.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Amateur skier Will is a roofer by trade
0:07:51 > 0:07:53and is passionate about his sport.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56He competes at the highest level,
0:07:56 > 0:08:01in an extreme version of waterskiing called ski flying,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05where this skier is towed by a boat reaching speeds of 70mph
0:08:05 > 0:08:08before taking off from a ramp and landing on the water.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Will is ranked in the world's top 40.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16The objective is just to get as far away from the ramp as you can.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20And you get measured from the top of the ramp to the
0:08:20 > 0:08:21back of your skis when you land.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Will often reaches distances of over 200 feet
0:08:26 > 0:08:29when leaving the ramp at top speed.
0:08:29 > 0:08:30It is just the rush you got.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32When you hit the ramp at 70mph
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and you come off and you've got the skis in front of you
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and you are flying, then that is the best feeling in the world.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Will's ambition has been to give up his day job
0:08:41 > 0:08:45and tour the world as a professional competitor.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48But he's always been aware of the hazards.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Injury for somebody like me that has not quite hit the pros,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55that has to go to work, it is a big problem.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58So, yeah, it is in the back of your mind every jump.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Will's older brother, Steve, is already a professional skier,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08living out in America, while his younger sibling, Jack,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12is currently ranked as the best in the UK under the age of 21.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Me and Jack are always within a foot of each other.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20I'd like to think that I'm kind of beating Will now,
0:09:20 > 0:09:21just by a couple of metres.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26I am better in my opinion. He'll be better in his opinion.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27He thinks he is better.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Their cheerful sibling rivalry brings both Will and Jack
0:09:39 > 0:09:43to an event at Hazelwood Ski World in Lincoln on a warm July day.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Conditions are perfect for landing some big jumps.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53On the day, I physically, mentally, couldn't wait to get on the water.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58So I'm the next on the water. I get on the water, I feel good.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And this is my first jump. I wanted to do it on my first jump.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04I wanted to go along way.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10He came round just like normal - it all looked fine.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15We have the ramp and then we'll have markers down the lane.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19And they tell you how far away from the ramp you are.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23To build up momentum into the jump, Will has to turn sharply, or cut,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27behind the boat to line up with the ramp.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29So the later that you leave it
0:10:29 > 0:10:32to do your initial cut behind the boat,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36the faster you're going to have to go in front of the ramp
0:10:36 > 0:10:37to make it on there.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43And I left it at a couple of feet too late.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Filmed by the competition cameraman,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50this is the moment Will hits the ramp that day, at around 70mph -
0:10:50 > 0:10:54as fast as a car going full speed on the motorway.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56But he has lost control.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01When you hit the ramp, you want to be compact.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04And I had hit it, and I was tall.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07So I had already stood up before the ramp.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10The ramp is at six-feet tall.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14So you do 70mph and hit a six-foot ramp...
0:11:14 > 0:11:19In the short amount of distance that the ramp is, you crumble.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Will's skis are splayed as his body somersaults headfirst
0:11:22 > 0:11:24towards the water.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Watching on, Will's brother Jack knows something has gone very wrong.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31As soon as he hit the ramp, his skis were gone straightaway,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34so you kind of knew straightaway that he was going to crash.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42First thought that went through my mind off the top of the ramp...
0:11:42 > 0:11:47was probably, "I hope I don't die. I hope nothing breaks.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49"I hope my skis are going to be fine.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52"I hope I can go to work on Monday."
0:11:52 > 0:11:55There's just a million things... And then you hit the water,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and then that gives you all your answers.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08I quickly ran down to the dock to make sure he was all right.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Tried really not to...not to think of the worst that could happen.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15When you stop from going that fast to that slow,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17it's like crashing your car into a wall.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19There's going to be repercussions.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Will crash lands, his back has taken the full impact.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Other skiers, acting as rescue swimmers,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28launch themselves into the lake.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Fellow competitors, they know the hazards.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Will could be facedown, unconscious and in danger of drowning.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36One of them, David Canaan,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39spots the signs from the moment Will hits the ramp.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41He was upside down, he was in trouble. And we know that was it.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44"Here we go," and we get in the water.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47These photographs taken by another skier show the moment David,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50on the left, and another rescuer reach Will.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Thankfully, he is conscious.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56He was facing up the right way, so we didn't have to roll him over.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00The first question we asked is, you know, "What hurts, what's going on?"
0:13:00 > 0:13:03And, I mean, he said his neck and his back was hurting.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06So that sends the alarm bells flying straight off.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12My neck wouldn't move. I couldn't move anything without pain.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13So I had to float in the water.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15They put a stretcher under me in the water.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18And they had to get a group of guys to lift me
0:13:18 > 0:13:20out of the water on the stretcher.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24David and the other rescuers get a pale
0:13:24 > 0:13:26and shocked Will back to his towboat.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31He got onto the bank and I tried to, like...
0:13:31 > 0:13:33I just kind of stayed on the bank.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37I kind of knew he was very badly injured just by him
0:13:37 > 0:13:41being on the board and not actually walking.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Just saying the usual sort of things,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45"You'll be all right. Calm down. Take deep breaths."
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Trying to keep him sort of under control and calm
0:13:48 > 0:13:50until the ambulance arrived.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Will has crashed before, but never this badly.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56He has taken the full force of the impact on his back.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00He is beginning to worry that he may have done some irreversible damage.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02So I start taking my gloves off
0:14:02 > 0:14:04and I couldn't touch my fingers together.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07There was so much pain, I had to leave my gloves on.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10So I was worried about my vertebrae and the nerves
0:14:10 > 0:14:12and hitting things like that.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17So that was the most worrying part, was the feeling I had in my hands.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Will is immobilised and rushed to hospital by ambulance.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23The seriousness of the accident is beginning to
0:14:23 > 0:14:25sink in with his brother Jack.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28I've never seen him being taken away in an ambulance before,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31and I've seen him take some pretty bad crashes. Um...
0:14:31 > 0:14:34I kind of just... Kind of just hope the best, that he
0:14:34 > 0:14:37didn't have a broken back or, like,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39was paralysed for the rest of his life.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41And at the hospital,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Will is terrified that his injuries may be life-changing.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48When you're laid there, you wonder why you are still laid there.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51"Why haven't they got me up? Why haven't they got me out?
0:14:51 > 0:14:54"Why am I still in this stretcher? Why can't I move?"
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Worried doctors immediately send Will for a Cat scan,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01which reveals to everyone's surprise and relief that he has escaped
0:15:01 > 0:15:05without any broken bones or internal injuries.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06But he is injured.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13It is 48 hours before he leaves hospital,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17battered and bruised, and four months before he could work again.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20I couldn't move my neck for about two months.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23I was basically looking straight and I was stiff.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25And if I wanted to look around,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27it was a case of twisting my whole body to look anywhere.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29I had to wait until I could move again
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and get around and feel strong again.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33It took a long time.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39It's almost a year later before Will decides to risk a return to the
0:15:39 > 0:15:42ramp and attempts to jump again.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44He knows it is a make or break decision,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and he's nervous as he makes his approach.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50All the way down the lake, you're thinking,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52"Don't do the same again, don't do the same again,
0:15:52 > 0:15:53"don't do the same again."
0:15:53 > 0:15:56You're just hoping that your skis are in front of you
0:15:56 > 0:15:58and that you're going to land with two feet.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04It's a big relief.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07You're fine, you've landed on two skis, you're good.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Now back to full fitness and competing again,
0:16:10 > 0:16:14in the near future, Will is hoping to break into the world's top 20,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18turn professional and earn his living doing the sport he loves.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22And now I've accepted I probably am going to have another few crashes.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24And this could happen again.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28But I'm fortunate to be able to have that opportunity to have more.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30I don't want any more,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33but I am back skiing and I am lucky to be able to do it.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Streetly, Birmingham.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Matt's new car is on fire on his driveway.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Just moments ago, he was behind the wheel. But now, he's filming it burn.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54And suddenly...
0:16:54 > 0:16:56- BANG - BLEEP!
0:16:56 > 0:16:57An explosion.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01The car is dangerously close to Matt's house
0:17:01 > 0:17:03and the flames are growing.
0:17:09 > 0:17:1340-year-old Matt works in the family business fixing electric motors
0:17:13 > 0:17:15for industrial machinery.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18When people are in trouble and an electric motor fails,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20they usually want it back very quickly.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22We're prepared to get them up and running again.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27But Matt is about to have a problem with another sort of motor - his car.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31He has just bought it second-hand for £15,000
0:17:31 > 0:17:34after deciding to upgrade to a larger vehicle
0:17:34 > 0:17:36to carry the equipment for his favourite hobby.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39I do a lot of fishing. I thought, the four-wheel drive
0:17:39 > 0:17:43and plus being a bigger style car would be just what I needed, really.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48But it didn't work out to be quite that.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Matt is driving home from his office.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53It is an eight-mile, 30-minute commute.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Today, he has decided to take the back roads because of road works.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00And just drive it home steadily, up the road,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03right in the rush-hour traffic, pulled up on my drive...
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Just as I got out, I just noticed something. I just looked.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10I thought the head gasket had gone.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Cos it looked more like steam. And then it just went up orange,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19as the flames were, you know, going up.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25I...backed off a little bit and I phoned the fire brigade.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Matt dials 999. This is the fire service's recording of his call.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42As Matt briefs the call handler, the flames intensify.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46He begins to realise it could get out of hand. It is tea-time and
0:18:46 > 0:18:48neighbouring families are arriving home from school.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Unable to tackle the flames himself and appalled to see his
0:18:58 > 0:19:01newly bought car ablaze, Matt decides to record the fire.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05His mobile phone footage shows the rampant ten-foot flames.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08He is terrified the car could explode at any moment.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10You know, it is petrol at the end
0:19:10 > 0:19:12of the day and it's got no respect, has it?
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Suddenly, a loud bang startles Matt.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- BANG - BLEEP!
0:19:16 > 0:19:19One of the front tyres has burst in the extreme heat.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21But the shock has heightened Matt's anxiety.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26And he suddenly realises his whole home is at risk.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29I thought, "Any minute now, the bay window is going to shatter."
0:19:29 > 0:19:33The flames are now just inches from the lounge window.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36If it breaks, there is a real chance his front room will go up.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40The fire service are racing to the scene, and they share Matt's worries.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44En route, we could see the thick, black, acrid smoke being given
0:19:44 > 0:19:49off by the fire, so we knew we had got a very well-developed car fire.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53Therefore, our concern was, has it spread to the house as well?
0:19:53 > 0:19:58Just 3.5 minutes after dialling 999, the firefighters arrive.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Matt's phone footage shows them battling the blaze.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Car fires do start. It can be so serious.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Because of the large amount of fuel that are carried within the cars,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10they can accelerate relatively quickly.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13The gases that are given off, especially in car fires,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15are so carcinogenic to us.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17So we make sure we are all wearing breathing apparatus.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Thick smoke fills the street as the fire crews blast
0:20:21 > 0:20:22the engine bay with water.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25As soon as it was ascertained by the officer in charge that there
0:20:25 > 0:20:27was nobody in the house, and nobody in the car, etc,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30we were able to get on with tackling the fire in the way
0:20:30 > 0:20:32we wanted to, with obviously the concern that we'd made
0:20:32 > 0:20:35sure we had a water jet round the other side of the car
0:20:35 > 0:20:37just to protect the building from any further damage.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43The quick action of the fire service brings the blaze under control,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47saving the house. But nothing could save Matt's car.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49It has been completely gutted.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Matt snaps some pictures of the burned-out vehicle.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56It is impossible to know how the fire started,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00and it is terrifying to think he was just inches from the inferno.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03If it could go up that quickly, in five seconds,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06I just thought what'd happen if it's left and it carries on
0:21:06 > 0:21:09like that and the fire brigade had turned up so quickly.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12It is obvious from the intense scorch mark on Matt's
0:21:12 > 0:21:15driveway that the house could have easily gone up.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Matt was very, very fortunate.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20It was a car fire that developed very quickly.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22And he noticed it at the early stages
0:21:22 > 0:21:26and was able to get out of the car and move to a safe distance.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28The fire brigade said if I was, you know, on the motorway
0:21:28 > 0:21:30or something happened,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33I could've, you know, it could've been quite nasty.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45There's something about being at home that makes us feel safe
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and cosy, especially when we are tucked up in bed.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52But when something goes dramatically wrong, well, it is a real shock.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Back in Hampshire, householders
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Anne and Len have had a terrifying early morning wake-up call.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07A Royal Mail truck has left the road
0:22:07 > 0:22:10and careered into the front of their house,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13trapping them in their upstairs bedroom.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16When the lorry hit, it hit with such a force,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18the foundations of the house were moved.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Shocked onlookers and neighbours have dialled 999.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Crews from Hampshire Fire and Rescue rush to the scene,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28under the control of station manager Paul Coates.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31We were fortunate that where the lorry had hit
0:22:31 > 0:22:33the wall and the cars,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35that he'd taken all his speed out.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38If he hadn't hit the wall, he'd have gone straight through the house.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41And it would have been like a pack of cards, a full collapse,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43with the people in there.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47But rescuing Anne and Len is still going to be a tricky task.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51The front door wouldn't open, it was jammed. It was wedged in.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53They tried, they couldn't open the front door.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56The fire crew will have to break the door down.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58But sending firefighters up the collapsed staircase
0:22:58 > 0:23:02of the unstable house would be dangerous for everybody.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07The potential was, where he's gone in to the end of the building,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11if we make the staircase collapse, that may then push the end wall out,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14which may then collapse the roof as well.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Paul decides it is safer for the couple to stay put upstairs
0:23:17 > 0:23:22and sends a firefighter up a ladder to their window to reassure them.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26The fire officer comes to the window and said,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28"Were you expecting a parcel?"
0:23:28 > 0:23:32And it was a silly joke, but it was funny at the time.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35But Anne is feeling unwell and in shock.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38A paramedic is sent up to help her.
0:23:38 > 0:23:44By this time, I was really shaking and hyperventilating.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49I felt really ill. And they gave me some oxygen.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51I was just so much in shock.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The lady wasn't feeling too well, so we didn't really want them
0:23:54 > 0:23:56walking down the ladder.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58We could have carried her, but that's... Again,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00it's not an easy thing to do.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04So we called in an aerial ladder platform from Southsea.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07The only way to get Anne and Len out is by the bedroom window
0:24:07 > 0:24:09at the front of the house.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11But Paul won't be taking any risks
0:24:11 > 0:24:14until he is sure the rescue attempt can't endanger the couple further.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17The crews basically went up with sledgehammers and crowbars
0:24:17 > 0:24:19and took the window out.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22It wasn't very pretty, but we did it.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24The main risk was the building collapse.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26And one of the ways we get round that is where
0:24:26 > 0:24:30we have cracks in walls, we use a pen to put a line on it.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32You put safety officers in,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36looking to make sure that the cracks are not getting bigger.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Fortunately, the house seems to be stable enough for
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Anne and Len to be led out.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45We had to follow the firemen right to the front bedroom,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47they had taken the window out.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50We had to keep right against the wall, away from the stairs.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52And they put...
0:24:52 > 0:24:55I think it was a chest of drawers or something down
0:24:55 > 0:24:59for us to stand on, to climb out onto the platform.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04A relieved Anne and Len are lowered gently down to the ground.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08And then the full horror of what has happened to them starts to sink in.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13It was devastating to see everything just in a big jumble.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17You go to bed, you wake up,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20and you've lost everything within an hour.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23You've lost your car, you nearly lose your life,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25you lose your house...
0:25:25 > 0:25:31And to see it all ruined, you know, it was just devastating.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34The couple would not be going back into their house for three to six
0:25:34 > 0:25:36months while it was being rebuilt,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39and they had nothing other than what they were stood in.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Anne and Len are distraught.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Paul calls in volunteers to help support them.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48The Red Cross volunteers, they were superb. Absolutely superb.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Can't praise them all enough.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54With Anne and Len safe and being comforted, Paul and his colleagues
0:25:54 > 0:25:57need to try and prevent the entire building collapsing.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00They call in the local council's building control manager,
0:26:00 > 0:26:05John Shore, to assess the damage. And he films the wreckage for his report.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08The whole of the building, towards the rear of the property,
0:26:08 > 0:26:09aboveground,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12had shifted by approximately an inch to an inch and a half,
0:26:12 > 0:26:17and that was really why we put metal props between the two buildings,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20basically, to ensure that one building was supported off
0:26:20 > 0:26:23the other building when we removed the lorry.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27We let the tyres down, the lorry went down by about an inch.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29There was no movement, so at that point,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32we started gingerly moving the lorry out inch by inch.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I was crossing my fingers
0:26:34 > 0:26:36to make sure that the building didn't collapse.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38But thankfully, it stayed intact.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42It takes six hours from the lorry hitting the property to it
0:26:42 > 0:26:47being removed, but the repercussions go on a lot longer for all concerned.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50The driver of the lorry had suffered
0:26:50 > 0:26:52a suspected medical event but was unhurt.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The house has now been repaired and is as good as new,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58though Anne and Len don't lived here any more.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01As the rebuilding process was going to take a long time,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04they accepted an offer from the Royal Mail to buy
0:27:04 > 0:27:08the house from them, allowing them to move on and into a new home.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13But they are never going to forget the last day they lived there.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18I really am thankful to the emergency services.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I really am.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Cos I don't know what would've happened without them that day.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28So thankful seeing no-one was killed or injured,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30last of all the driver.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33For whatever reason, I didn't go downstairs that day.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37So I don't mind having a cold no more!
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Because it saved my life, literally saved my life.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Well, thank goodness that Len had that extra ten minutes in bed.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Join us next time for more tales of survival from people who have
0:27:57 > 0:27:58had a close call.