The St Martin resident, who did not want to be named, said that his garage – containing three classic cars – and his workshop had both been almost completely destroyed by the fire.
He said: ‘The first thing I knew about it was when one of my neighbours started hammering on my front door at about 6.30am when I was in bed.
‘I called the fire brigade and then went out and looked at the garage but it was too serious by then and there was no point in doing anything – it was too dangerous. Unfortunately, all we could do was watch and wait for the fire brigade to turn up.
‘The fire was very intense and there were a number of cars in the garage, which is alongside my workshop. The whole lot went.’
The man added that he was thankful nobody was harmed during the incident but that the cars and workshop had been of great sentimental value.
‘There were three classic cars in the garage of great sentimental value, one of which I shared with my daughter and it was used in the classic hill climb. That has been completely destroyed.
‘Obviously the vehicles and property are insured but I would much rather have my cars and workshop back.
‘Fortunately, the garage is not attached to my home so that has not been touched at all.’
The classic-car enthusiast thanked the Fire and Rescue Service and his neighbours for the help they had been given.
‘The access to our place is not ideal but they were here very promptly – I cannot praise them enough,’ he said.
‘Our neighbours have also been fabulous. They and our friends have been fantastic and have really helped us out.’
A total of 11 firefighters, two engines and a water carrier, attended the blaze.
Later, at 8.03am, on-call firefighters dealt with another fire in a workshop on Farley’s Lane in St Helier.
Watch Commander Richard Ryan said: ‘Both fires were located and dealt with effectively with the fire damage being confined to the garages only. The fire in Rozel was particularly intense and smoke-logged, which required the crew to wear breathing apparatus.’
The causes of both fires are being investigated.
