Underfall Yard fire: Pictures show scale of destruction caused by Bristol harbour blaze

• Watch Annie Knowlson's report.

Pictures from the scene of a serious fire that broke out in Bristol last night have revealed the scale of the destruction it caused.

The blaze burned through the night at Underfall Yard, a working boatyard in the Hotwells area of the city.

Homes and houseboats were evacuated while Avon Fire and Rescue Service used eight fire engines to battle the flames.

Eyewitness Peter Hook, who watched as the fire burned, spoke of his concern that the fire was going to spread further.

He said: "My son came in and said there was a fire so we came rushing back thinking the house was on fire and saw that it was the Underfall boatyard.

"The smoke was coming over the house.

"It's tragic, there's the forge there, the boatbuilders. It's going to affect a lot of people in a lot of bad ways."

This morning, residents were allowed to return home, but people are still being advised to avoid the area and keep their windows shut.

Paul Kirk from Avon Fire & Rescue said the fast thinking efforts of his colleagues meant the damage did not spread to nearby houses.

He said: "The actions of the crews have been fantastic. We have managed to save quite a proportion of the buildings that were here."

One local business, who didn't want to be named, told ITV West Country today that they had "lost everything".

Photographs have shown the aftermath of the serious fire, which swept through the boatyard.

Councillor Patrick McAllister said: "There's no other word for it - it is devastating. We've just been speaking to the owners of the boats who have lost very significant assets which they had a huge emotional attachment to, some of them loss of homes and leisure vehicles.

"I'm very hopeful we'll be able to rebuild and come back even stronger at Underfall Yard."