Havant fire crew called to Chichester House boiler fire as family evacuated from flat

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service firefighters from Havant Fire Station were called at 9.44am on Wednesday, March 13, initially to a report that a carbon dioxide detector alarm was sounding at the address. Residents from a flat in high rise building Chichester House, in Lockerley Road, Havant, were evacuated when the crew arrived on the scene and found smoke pouring from the property's boiler.

A spokesperson from Havant Fire Station explained that an electrical element inside the boiler overheated and caused the appliance to catch alight internally, melting plastic and causing dangerous fumes to be emitted.

The crew isolated the gas and electrical supplies before extinguishing the fire and helping the flat's residents.

A young woman and two children, who were awoken by the alarm, have been rehomed from the flat, which is now without heating or hot water.