Young couple and baby flee fire

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A couple and their baby were forced to flee their home in the early hours of the morning after a fire ripped through a neighbouring garage.

The sound of explosions woke Simon Thomas and his wife Stephanie at their flat in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent.

Mr Thomas said: "Our door is only four metres from the garage so I had to climb over a wall and she passed our baby Bradley over to me."

Fire officers and police are investigating the cause of the blaze.

Mr Thomas, an IT manager, explained how he and his family were forced from their flat above a mobile phone shop he works for, during the early hours when he noticed the garage next door was on fire.

"Telephone lines were falling from the sky and roof tiles were exploding," he said.

I think that they got out just in time Damian Cole

"It sounded like a box of fireworks had been let off in the street," he said.

Fire crews from South Wales Fire Service were called to the scene at 0457 GMT on Sunday.

Damian Cole, the managing director of the mobile phone company that employs Mr Thomas has offered a £1,000 reward for information about the fire.

"I think that they got out just in time - it could have been a lot worse," said Mr Cole.

He said a Renault Clio company car which was being kept in the garage was destroyed in the blaze.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by police and fire officers.

Mr Thomas said he was unsure if his home was safe for the to return to until fire officers had inspected it.