AN AMATEUR photographer preparing for a competition captured dramatic pictures of a blaze from her bedroom window.

Martha Caramitsos spotted the fire at car repair business CMS Motors, in Whitebirk Road, Blackburn, at 8.10pm on Wednesday.

After calling the emergency services, she reached for her Nikon D200.

The annual competitions secretary of Accrington Camera Club managed to take several shots before the fire brigade arrived to deal with the tyres fire.

Martha said: "I was just getting together some of the entries for our annual photography competition when I saw the flames from my window.

"Quite soon there were plumes of black smoke filling the air as the tyres really caught alight.

"At one point you could hardly see across the road, the smoke was that thick.

"You could feel the heat through the glass of the window.

"I was quite worried about my car that was parked in the street because the flames were licking past it, but it was too dangerous for me to go and move it."

Fire crews spent less than half-an-hour tackling the blaze, thought to have been started by children.

Blackburn fire station watch manager Mark Winder said: "Tyres always create a lot of smelly black smoke because of the burning rubber and are not a particularly pleasant thing to deal with.

"It didn't take the night crew long to get the fire under control, although they had a very busy night with a few callouts."

The fire caused only minor damage to the outside of the business.

Owner of CMS Motors, Tony Morris, said: "There was a bit of smoke damage to some of the signs. It was business as usual when we opened in the morning."

Martha has not yet decided if she will enter her photos of the fire into the club's competition. All entries will be on display at the Haworth Art Gallery next month.