Local fire crews join more than 100 firefighters in tackling large thatch blaze at hotel

Crews from across Hampshire attended the thatch fire in Ampfield last night, and appliances went from 25 fire stations.

At its peak, about 170 emergency service personnel were at the fire in Winchester Road.

The blaze broke out in the two-storey hotel at about 5pm yesterday – but crews were damping down until this morning.

Three fire engines went from Cosham, two from Fareham, and one from Havant and Gosport, with a command unit from Portchester.

Firefighter Shaun Munce, from Havant Fire Station, said: ‘We went to the hotel at about midnight as a relief crew.

‘We got back to the station at about 6am, it was about just keeping an eye on the fire, there were a lot of firefighters there.’

Crews used breathing apparatus, hose reels, jets and foam to tackle the fire in which nobody was injured. They also used two aerial ladder platforms.

The thatch was ripped off to stop the flames from spreading.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.