Portsmouth residents recall moment fire struck Winchester Road home - as man springs into action while waiting for firefighters

A house on Winchester Road, Fratton, erupted in flames and ‘thick black smoke’ leading to severe damage at the property. According to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue, a family of four and two dogs were ‘very lucky’ to escape from the catastrophe at about 10.30pm on Thursday, June 8.

One man, who lives a few doors from the property, thanked a neighbour who used his hose to try and tackle the blaze and prevent it spreading to other houses.

NOW READ: 'Very lucky' family escape from 'severe' Fratton blaze as firefighters tackle 'thick' smoke and save dogs

He said: ‘It was all a bit of a shock. We’re just glad that everyone got out and we’re very grateful to our neighbours. One neighbour actually got a hose over the fence and was putting out the fire which was so helpful. Another neighbour, just over the road, a stranger really, took us in and made us a cup of tea, made got us a cup of tea and checked we were okay. It’s just wonderful how the community comes together in these types of times.’

As previously reported, Kris Johnson, 39, – who lives in Queen’s Road with a garden backing onto the Winchester Road address, attempted to tackle the flames by spraying his garden hose over the fence.

He told The News: ‘I noticed a glow in my rear garden and at first I thought it was my solar lights. I first heard the fire, then got my ladders and climbed up over the back wall and saw the garden was ablaze. I grabbed my hose and tried to use it, although it didn’t have enough pressure. I tried to tackle the fire while my neighbour called the fire brigade.’

Another neighbour, Jason Knight, said that he smelled smoke at the time but intially presumed it was just somebody having a barbecue.

Jason said: ‘I was in the living room and three blokes – I don’t know who they were – started banging on the window saying there was a fire out back. We just went into panic mode really. We got the two kids down from upstairs, I went to go into the back garden and the whole garden was orange. It didn’t even touch our garden – it touched three doors down.

Jason recalled the moment when one of the homeowners from the burning house lay on the floor outside his home while a crowd of people gathered to help.

NOW READ: Watch: Neighbours try to fight 'frightening' Fratton blaze with garden hoses until fire crews arrive

He added: ‘People were just screaming “has anyone called 999?”. I did message them last night to say “if you need anything, give me a shout” – even if it’s just man hours. As much as Portsmouth has gone downhill in the sense of crime, Winchester Road is actually really nice. I can’t thank those three blokes enough for banging on our window.’

According to friends of the homeowners, they have been ‘left with nothing’. A Gofundme page has been set up to support the family affected. The fire also reportedly spread to adjoining gardens in other properties. The cause of the fire is currently unknown but firefighters are not pursuing an investigation.