Woman rushed to hospital after fire at mental health residence in Southsea

Fire crews from Southsea swung into action at Autumn Vale Rest Home in Clarendon Road last night after a fire was ‘accidentally’ started at around 8.30pm.

Police and ambulances were also on scene as the road was closed off until it was declared safe.

Residents of the home were said to be ‘calm’ but ‘anxious’ following the inferno, which was contained within the room where it started.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘Three appliances attended the scene. One person was treated for smoke inhalation but no one was injured. The fire was out within 10 minutes.

‘The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental, possibly involving a lamp.’

Raj Seedeehul, manager of the rest home, said: ‘The cause of the fire is unknown – it could be a variety of factors. These are being looked into at the moment.

‘The fire was contained within the one room. One lady went to hospital with smoke inhalation.’

The manager, who conceded things could have been much worse, praised staff and firefighters for their actions.

He said: 'Our clients were calm but anxious – there was no panic. This was due to the staff and firefighters excellent support.

‘Our staff are trained to deal with such situations and our clients, therefore, know what to do when there is a fire. We recently passed all our safety inspections with flying colours.

‘The fire service were awesome and I’m very proud of my staff and the clients. From the initial evacuation everyone was back inside within three hours. You wouldn’t know there was a fire from the outside of the building – only if you saw the room.’