Richard E. Grant escapes house fire

Actor/director Richard E. Grant narrowly escaped a terrifying house fire on Wednesday (01May13) after a blaze broke out at his home. A construction worker accidentally ignited a tree while working on the roof of Grant’s house, but a team of firefighters arrived just in time to extinguish the blaze and save the property from going up in flames.
The Withnail & I star took to his Twitter.com page to detail the frightening incident, writing, “Flat roofer’s blow torch set conifers on fire & 999 (emergency services) heroic fire brigade arrived pronto presto & have just put it out. Nerves shredded. Pheeeew… Merciful thanks for a windless day & fire brigade’s emergency response otherwise firemen reckoned my garage & house would have been toast…
“Weird how shock reaction delays itself. Now got the shakes like someone coming off methadone. Deep breaths.”
The star has blamed the builders for starting the blaze and insists he has yet to receive an apology for the drama.
He adds, “No prizes for guessing who I would like to blowtorch right now! And still got to pay the f**kers! This being the 21st century there is no apology or taking responsibility. It’s always someone else’s or something’s fault. Drives me balmy (barmy).”