Gosport flat block fire: Fire service provide fresh details on cause of blaze which saw residents evacuated

Emergency services were deployed to the scene in Samson Close on Saturday afternoon. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) said fire crews from across the Portsmouth area quenched the blaze which was caused by one of the solar panels on the building.

A HIWFRS spokesman said: ‘Firefighters tackled a fire involving solar panels on the roof of a three-storey block of flats in Gosport on Saturday afternoon. Crews from Gosport, Fareham, Cosham and the aerial ladder from Southsea attended the property on Samson Close shortly after 1pm.

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‘The fire was contained to the solar panels, and was extinguished using jets, with the flats remaining unaffected.’ Gosport Police reported on Saturday that the inferno was put out quickly and all residents were safely evacuated.

They said in a Facebook post: ‘Thank you to the residents of Samson Close for their patience during this afternoon's fire. Our emergency service partners were quickly on scene to ensure the safe evacuation of those living in the block, as well as the rapid extinguishing of the fire.’

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The HIWFRS spokesman said fire crews carried out health and safety measures after the blaze had been put out. He added that the local electricity company worked on the solar panels to make them safe.

‘The electricity board isolated the solar panels as crews undertook community fire safety activities in the area before returning to station at around 2.30pm,’ he said.