A CAR collector was left devastated after two of his prized possessions were destroyed in a double garage fire.

A loud explosion was heard by residents nearby who said it caused their homes to shake.

A garage door was blown off its hinges during the blaze at the rear of a cul-de-sac, off Elm Road, Limeside.

An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the fire.

Resident Kim Greenwood said: "I heard a big bang and the entire house shook. It woke the kids up.

"I was upstairs at the time. I looked out the window. People kept coming outside to see what had happened.

"The next thing I knew, three fire engines and three police cars had arrived.

"I could see the fire. It was huge."

Kevin Singleton, who lives near the garages, says the explosion shook his home and he immediately called the fire service when he saw smoke. He said the cars destroyed in the fire were a classic VW Golf convertible and Mitsubishi Evo.

A classic Ford Escort in a neighbouring garage escaped the fire.

Mr Singleton added: "The owner of the VW was really upset. He’d had the car for years and spent a lot of money getting it up to scratch.

"He only took it out in the summer."

Mr Singleton's car was parked nearby and suffered damage when the force of the explosion blew the garage doors off.

Fire crews from Hollins and Oldham Central were called to the incident at around 10.30pm on Sunday night (February 18).

Crews remained on the site for around three hours, using hose reels to extinguish the flames.

Tony Morgan, watch manager at Hollins, said: "The flames were coming right through the roof.

"The cars inside the buildings were completely destroyed.

"There was a forcible explosion from one of them. You can see where the garage doors were blown off.

"The owners of the cars were devastated.

"They have had them for show cars. They were extremely rare - ones they won't find again."

He added: "We were very fortunate that the fire was far from any houses."

The police put cordons in place and advised residents in the surrounding properties to keep their windows and doors shut due to the smoke.

There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident but an investigation is under way to establish the cause.

The single-storey domestic garages are rented out by owners The Regenda Group.

A spokesman for The Regenda Group said: "We are aware that there was a fire at our garages just off Elm Road, Limeside, on Sunday night.

"Our health and safety team are currently securing the area and carrying out all standard checks. We are also contacting customers affected by the fire.

"We will be working closely with the fire service to support any investigations into the cause of the fire."