Portsmouth dockyard workers praised for 'fast action' in putting out fire at Portico fruit firm

FIREFIGHTERS have praised quick-thinking dockyard workers for extinguishing a rooftop blaze at a fruit distributor.
Tom Cotterill
By Tom Cotterill
Published 6th Aug 2019, 09:23 BST
Updated 6th Aug 2019, 17:32 BST
Firefighters were scrambled to tackle a fire on the rooftop of a building in Portsmouth International Port this morningFirefighters were scrambled to tackle a fire on the rooftop of a building in Portsmouth International Port this morning
Firefighters were scrambled to tackle a fire on the rooftop of a building in Portsmouth International Port this morning

More than a dozen officers from Southsea were scrambled to Flathouse Quay inside Portsmouth International Port at 5.53am to reports of a fire at the Portico facility.

Three fire engines from Southsea and the station’s aerial ladder platform, along with a crew from Portchester, were called to the blaze, which was sparked by a faulty refrigeration unit on top of the building.

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However, dockyard workers used extinguishers to put out the fire before crews arrived.

In a tweet, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s control centre added: ‘Fast action from staff on site brought this under control and HFRS carried out scene safety.’

A Portico spokesman said: ‘The swift and professional actions of our staff meant that this minor isolated incident was contained and no one was hurt.

‘The terminal remained open to customers throughout and it’s business as usual today.’

Related topics:PortsmouthSouthseaPortchesterPortsmouth International Port

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