RESIDENTS feared a fire which started in an underground car park could spread throughout their block of flats.

Some went door to door at the flats in Windsor Drive, High Wycombe, warning others to evacuate the building, on Thursday afternoon.

The area filled with smoke when a car caught fire. It is believed that rubbish left in the underground car park could have helped the blaze to spread.

Steve Cripps, Assistant District Officer of Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue, said: "Underground car parks should be kept as clean as possible with rubbish left in bins outside because of the serious hazards."

Fire crews were called to the flats at around 1.45pm after a number of people spotted smoke coming out of the garage.

Lee Rankine, 20, of A & SG James Removals, was working in one of the flats when he was warned about the smoke.

He said: "A man said there was a fire somewhere and there was smoke. I phoned the fire brigade and I made sure there was no-one in the flats."

Elaine Baker saw smoke drifting outside her kitchen window and contacted the fire brigade, who were quickly on the scene.

Firefighters established the flats were empty and then the crews went in to put out the blaze. A flat became filled with smoke but the fire was confined to the car park. Crews left the scene around 5pm.