An aircraft hanger at Elstree Aerodrome was seconds away from destruction this week when a fire came close to engulfing oil drums containing more than 40 gallons of petrol.

Fire crews rushed to the scene last Saturday morning to extinguish the blaze which started when a cleaner using an electrical floor scrubbing machine ignited a pool of highly flammable aviation fuel that had leaked from the drums.

Three planes were saved from the fierce flames which were quickly controlled by the aerodrome's crash team who were on the scene in minutes, winning the praise of fellow workers and the Fire Service for putting out the fire before any major damage was caused.

The aerodrome's chairman, John Houlder, who witnessed the fire, said: "It could have been catastrophic. If the crash crew were not around at the time, the entire hangar could have exploded it could have been very serious indeed.

"We are extremely lucky to have a team who responded so quickly and efficiently."

The fuel was an emergency supply for filling up planes before short flights, using a hand pump.

The cleaner was said to be recovering from shock but unharmed by the fire, which occurred in the Cab Air hangar at 10.28am.

Garston Sub-Officer Tony Smith, whose team arrived moments later to mop up the damage, said: "They had a very lucky escape. It could have been much worse. With the extent of aviation fuel that is on the site, a fire could easily have wiped out the entire place if it wasn't quickly controlled.

"The crash crew were so quick, they kept the fire from escalating. They did a really good job."

He said an investigation has been launched to look into the cause of the incident which lasted approximately half an hour.