Ron Skinner & Sons fire left elderly scared for their lives

Trudy Howell, 74, lives in the Bryn Rhosyn estate across the road. She recalls her bedroom being lit up in red from the colour of the flames.

Her house is only around 50 metres away from the Ron Skinner and Sons forecourt in Tredegar that blew up in flames overnight on August 16-17.

“I woke up my 96-year-old mother at around 1am and got her dressed into her dressing gown in case we needed to evacuate quickly,” she said.

“I was terribly frightened and even when the worst of it was over I was too afraid to go back to sleep.

“You could hear glass smashing and all sorts of this exploding. It sounded like we were under attack.

“The smell of smoke was so strong you could not ignore it.

“My bedroom backs onto the road opposite the dealership and I could see all the flames getting higher and higher.

“In less than ten minutes the whole building was on fire. It spread from the left side to the right in a matter of minutes.

“I have never seen anything like it in my life.”

The fire services are currently working alongside Gwent Police to investigate the origin of the fire. (Image: Newsquest)

This shows how close Trudy's estate is to the dealership. (Image: Google Earth)

Trudy has lived in the area since the Ron Skinner and Sons dealership was built. She said it was simply luck that stopped it from spreading and catching her house on fire.

“They usually park one of their double decker lorries on this side, closest to my house, but for whatever reason that night they didn’t – they must have parked it around the back,” she said.

“If that had been there and got set on fire, God only knows what would have happened to all of us living over on this side.”

Remo Bennett, 96, spent the next day brushing the black soot from the driveway, and helping Trudy pick up the rubble from the explosions that was left in their garden.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to the scene just after 11pm on August 16.

They advised those living in the area to lock themselves indoors and shut all windows for their safety.

“People were lining the streets and climbing the banks to take pictures and see the fire,” said Trudy.

It was not until around 2pm the next day, on August 17, that the building stopped smoking.

The fire services are currently working alongside Gwent Police to investigate the origin of the fire.

If anyone has any information that might help with the enquiry, you can contact Gwent Police by DM on their social media channels, or by calling 101.