Portsmouth man making toast treated after fire ignites in flat

The fire sparked at about 1.30am this morning on the ground floor property in London Road, North End.

Two fire crews from Southsea fire station and a third from Cosham rushed to the scene to tackle the blaze.

The property was full of thick smoke when crews arrived, a fire service spokesman said.

Officers used four breathing apparatus to gain entry into the flat, using two high pressure hose reels to quell the flames.

A positive pressure ventilation fan was also used to clear smoke from the building.

The homeowner was given oxygen treatment by paramedics for smoke inhalation.

Watch manager Jason Boh, who heads Southsea’s Blue Watch, praised his team for promptly extinguishing the fire.

He said: ‘The fire was due to cooking. It was caused by a piece of toast left under the grill.

‘We dealt with the incident very rapidly. There was minimal fire damage – it was mostly smoke damage to the property.’

Watch manager Boh has since given a warning to people reminding them not to leave their cooking unattended.