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Crews from nine fire stations across the county were sent to the blaze in the warehouse at Barwell Lane, Gosport at 7.30pm last night.

Two police officers who responded first were taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital as a precaution.

Police and the fire service advised nearby residents to keep their doors and windows closed, due to a large plume of smoke that could be seen up to five miles away.

Firefighters used 30 breathing apparatus and four main jets to tackle the building blaze.

They spent more than five hours working to bring the fire under control, contending with heavy smoke in the hazardous environment.

Fareham fire station watch manager Perry Dodgson said the building was ‘completely gutted’.

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Aerial ladder platforms have been called to help firefighters tackle the blaze. Picture: Stuart Vaizey

The firefighter said: ‘It was really hard to get in – it was like a big metal box.

‘The smoke was really bad because it hadn’t vented. And because of the nature of it being a generator warehouse, there was a lot of oil and stuff on site.

‘The smell was not very nice.’

The warehouse was ‘completely gutted’ by the fire, according to watch manager Dodgson

Fire fighters have been tackling a blaze at a Gosport business park. Picture: Hampshire Constabulary

The two police officers who were among the the first to arrive at the scene were taken to QA Hospital in Cosham as part of a ‘precautionary’ check.

An update on their condition is expected later today according to a message posted to social media by Gosport police.

An environmental protection unit attended the fire, according to watch manager Mr Dodgson.

Crews from Cosham, Fareham, Portchester, Southsea, Eastleigh, Gosport, Beaulieu, Romsey and Ringwood fire stations attended.

Pictures from the blaze reveal large plumes of brown-black smoke pouring from the building as crews using an aerial ladder platform fought to keep the blaze under control.

A Fareham resident travelling from Portsmouth along the M27 said the ‘huge’ smoke plume from the fire could be seen from the motorway.

She said: ‘Several fire engines passed us on the motorway.

‘We drove past the fire and there was a huge amount of smoke.

‘There was so much black smoke we couldn’t see properly.’

Major fire in Gosport generator warehouse sees two police officers taken to hospital

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