Residents have described the "frightening" moment when they had to leave their homes in the night after a field was set alight. People on Edale Road in Sneinton said they grabbed their documents and other important items, watching the "hell" unfold before their eyes.
Fire crews were called to the incident on Wednesday evening (July 20) near the Thornfield Industrial Estate. Firefighters were called to reports of a blaze in the open in Edale Road at 10.18pm, tackling the fire from this road and the nearby Windmill Lane.
It was a 20,000 sq m fire grass and undergrowth fire, officials confirmed. A spokeswoman for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the fire was believed to have been started deliberately.
The incident happened near the City College site in Carlton Road. The three fire engines from the London Road and Carlton fire stations which were called out had left the scene by 11.15pm.
READ MORE: 'Very strong smoke smell' in Sneinton as emergency services called to major fire seen across city
When Nottinghamshire Live visited the site on Thursday (July), a large patch of the field was black following the incident and it was a strong smell of smoke. Abiola Ollawoyin, 51, lives in the first house from the field, which is separated by a number of trees which face Edale Road.
He said: "I thought it was raining at first. I left the house immediately when I saw it.
"It was frightening - I was so scared. The sky turned red.
"The flames were higher than the trees. If the trees caught fire it would have been the end game.
"Everyone got out of their houses. We could not take any risks. It was terrible. I have never seen anything like that before."
Tudor Strechie, who lives just next door, 36, added: "I thought it was raining, it sounded like a frying pan.
"There are people going in and out at night, so there is quite a lot going on. People use the area quite regularly for walks and things like that.
"I left the house, got some stuff with me. Everyone was out, watching the firefighters and the flames."
Lucretia Budulan, who has lived on this road for three years, added: "We put our documents in a bag and left the house. It is weird because we got home from work at around 10pm but did not notice anything.
"But then everyone got out. We are just really scared because it could have been a lot worse.
"There is a school right next to it as well. Something should be done about it."
The 41-year-old care assistant said: "It was like hell. We have never seen anything like it before."
A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue said: "It was very visible throughout the city, we received 54 calls to it." No injuries were reported.
It comes after a series of fire incidents across Nottinghamshire in recent days. Crews were called to a flat fire in Hockley, in the city centre and another one in Blidworth, where hundreds of homes were evacuated.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service previously issued a warning over the dangers of grass fires.
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