Three gardens belonging to neighbouring homes were destroyed following a fire in the village of Nant-y-Moel near Bridgend.
Emergency services were called to the incident shortly after midday on Monday, July 20, after flames broke out in the garden of a residential property before rapidly spreading to neighbouring gardens.
Images of the scene show smoke billowing from the scene and gardens left completely charred in the aftermath. South Wales Police has since confirmed the fire was accidental.
Police confirm accidental cause
A spokesperson for the force said: "South Wales Police was called at 12.15pm on Monday, July 20, to reports of a fire in the garden of a property in Nant-y-Moel."
"It's believed the fire was not deliberate and has been classed as accidental."
Neighbour describes 'chaos'
Neighbour Ian Williams, who witnessed the aftermath of the blaze, described scenes of "chaos" as residents rushed to help one another.
"On Monday I was in work and my partner was at home, off on annual leave," he said. "She phoned me at work and said, 'It's chaos up here.'"
"She had to go to our neighbours, climb over their fence, to rescue the neighbours' three small dogs from an outhouse in one of the gardens."
Heartbreak over lost keepsake
Mr Williams said the fire devastated three properties and left one resident heartbroken after a treasured keepsake belonging to her late son was destroyed.
"It took out three gardens," he said. "One of the residents affected was keeping her late son's motorbike there and that went up in flames. She was in tears.
"You can replace property but you can't replace memories."
No injuries have been reported.
