Fire crews sent up their new camera-operated helicopter for the first time when tackling the blaze at Stephen Anthony Design in Emsworth.

More than 70 firefighters from across the region fought the fire in the converted barn on Southleigh Road at 5am on Sunday.

But it was the new helicopter which allowed them to get a bird's eye view of the scene and where they would be best employed to tackle the fire.

Incident commander Carlton Kerr said: 'The helicopter is on trial at the moment and this is the first building we've used it on.

'It's very good because it enables us to get an overview of where the fire is spreading and where it could go as well.

'This means we can use it for reconnaissance and see where we need to send our resources.'

The fire service bought the Carvec Kestrel aerial observation and photography platform in April and it is based at the headquarters in Eastleigh with the incident command unit.

Only two feet in length it can be flown up to 550 yards from the pilot and to a height of up to 400 feet for about 15 to 20 minutes.

The camera enabled firefighters to help save the furniture company's machine shop and showroom but still 50 per cent of the converted barn, including the offices and assembling area, was destroyed by the fire.

As firefighters fought the blaze residents were warned to keep their windows shut and stay indoors because atmospheric conditions meant smoke stayed low.

But by 10am the fire was under control, with the final crew leaving at 3.30pm.

Mr Kerr added. 'The fire was initially detected by an automated fire alarm which alerted us to the problem.

'Without the alarm being raised the damage done would have been considerable, so it is important for everyone to check their own smoke alarms and ensure that they are working correctly.'

Investigators remained on the scene yesterday to determine the cause of the fire, which is thought to have been an electrical fault.