Garden sheds in Portchester could have 'exploded' after dumped cigarette sparks dangerous fire
and live on Freeview channel 276
The drama erupted shortly after 6.30pm yesterday at a property in Sunningdale Road, Portchester.
A young man, living in the property, had been having a cigarette inside the shed before dumping the spent stub inside the outhouse – which contained a number of flammable gas cylinders.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe cigarette ignited a fire in the shed which rapidly spread and created an inferno, as gas from the cylinders vented out, fuelling the flames.
Within minutes the blaze had engulfed the shed and spread to neighbouring ones.
Families tried desperately in vain to extinguish the fire with garden hoses but were beaten back by the heat.
Firefighters from Cosham and Portchester were called in to fight the flames.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWatch manager Steve Pearce, of Cosham fire station, led the response and said things could have been so much worse.
He said: ‘The owner of the property’s son was having a cigarette in the shed and carelessly discarded it in there.
‘There were gas cylinders for the barbecue and plastic heaters in this shed, which were involved. Thankfully they vented off as they were meant to. So there was no explosion.
‘But this could have been extremely dangerous. It would have created a hell of a lot of damage if they had exploded. It would have been like a bomb strike’
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCrews used three high-pressure hose reels and fought the fire for about 90 minutes.
Watch manager Pearce added the situation had left the family shaken.
‘The family were obviously shocked,’ he said. ‘It went up so fast because it was fuelled by the venting gas of the cylinders.
‘They had tried to extinguish it by using garden hoses but they were beaten back by the flames. They didn’t stand a chance.’
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHe has since issued a warning, urging people to be careful where they smoke and to watch were they dispose of their cigarettes.
He said: ‘Smoking in a shed isn’t the smartest thing to do. They often have gas cylinders and other things here they smoke.
‘Care should be taken over discarding smoking material.’
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.
With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.
Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.
Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.