Residents return after evacuation due to explosion risk (From Daily Echo)

Residents return after evacuation in Fareham

5:12pm Wednesday 19th September 2012 in News

Residents have returned to their homes after a fire involving explosive gas cylinders.

As reported earlier , around ten properties were evacuated during the blaze earlier today at a garage in Winnham Drive, Fareham .

The fire had spread from a neighbouring garage, and both buildings were well alight when firefighters reached the scene.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue said it was the quick response from fire crews that stopped two highly-explosive acetylene cylinders from blowing up.

Cooling jets were used on the cylinders while the blaze was brought under control.

Neighbours to the garage escaped safely, after they followed advice given to them during a home safety visit from Fareham firefighers less than 24 hours earlier.

Incident Commander Tim Spencer-Peet said: "Our crews proved how valuable their work is by not only averting the danger presented by the gas cylinders but also through the advice given to the neighbouring family the previous day."Our Fareham crew had visited the family in the neighbouring home the previous day as part of our home safety visits and talked to them about developing a safe evacuation plan in the event of a fire. They were then able to put this into practice, probably sooner than they expected.”

Firefighters were at the scene until around 11am and carried out further inspections during the afternoon.

Residents returned to their home late morning.