Fire service reveal cause of ferocious Fratton blaze which neighbours had to contain with garden hoses

Emergency personnel were deployed to the scene of blaze in Winchester Road, Fratton, on June 8 at roughly 10.30pm. The ‘very lucky’ family including two children – aged two and five – managed to escape after climbing out of the first floor window.

Flames started spreading rapidly from the rear garden. Watch Manager Simon Morford, of Southsea Fire Station, said ‘thick’ black smoke could be seen on arrival.

Video footage captured at the scene showed two neighbours, including Kris Johnson, 39, keeping the fire at bay with a garden hose until the fire crews arrived.

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Firefighters use hose reels, tactical ventilation equipment and a jet to quench the flames. Crew members also dived into the property to rescue two dogs which were trapped inside – both of which had to be given oxygen.

In the aftermath of the fire, neighbours said they were shocked by what happened and that the fire spread so rapidly. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) have now determined the cause of the inferno.

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Station manager Steve Jenkins said: ‘We established that the fire started in the rear garden on the decking area. The fire completely destroyed the decking, spreading to neighbouring fences before moving inside the home.

‘It is believed that the fire may have been caused accidental by an external electrical fault or discarded smoking materials. An earlier alarm may have been raised if there had been working smoke detectors on each level of the house.’