WATCH: Dramatic dash-cam footage captures Thorpe Marriott home in flames

The scene of the fire in Thorpe Marriott. Photo: Helen Mason. (Image: Archant)

The child, who is thought to be aged 11, raised the alarm after spotting smoke pouring from an outbuilding on Felsham Way on Saturday.

Moments later, at around 1.20pm, the shed burst into flames and quickly spread to the side of a neighbouring property.

Helen Mason, who was at home with her two children at the time, said it was thanks to the boy that the fire did not spread to her house just metres away.

'If it wasn't for him, it would have been a lot worse,' she said. 'I was just worried that it was going to spread onto the roof and then onto our house.'

The aftermath of the fire in Thorpe Marriott. Photo: Luke Powell (Image: Archant)

Mrs Mason called the fire service and ran out of her house with her two children and husband. They then knocked on their neighbour's door to try and alert them, but no one was in .

She said firefighters arrived within six minutes and immediately started tackling the blaze.

Claire Heart, 39, whose house was damaged by the fire, thanked the response from the fire service and her neighbours.

She had been coming home from Sainsbury's when she saw the fire engines parked on the road near Grace Edwards Close.

'I was just shocked when I saw it and thought 'is that my house?',' she said. 'It could have been so much worse if no one had spotted the smoke.'

Crews from Earlham and Sprowston attended the scene in Thorpe Marriott, located north west of Norwich, and used hose reel jets to fight back the flames.

The fire destroyed part of a fence, a shed and melted the guttering of a neighbouring house.

The family of the child who raised the alarm did not wish to comment.

Do you have pictures from the scene? Email luke.powell@archant.co.uk