FIREFIGHTERS a last night battled to save a thatch cottage from flames as fire tore through the building.
Crews from Hampshire and Dorset were called to the scene in Sopley and roads have been closed so emergency services can tackle the blaze.
Derritt Lane was closed both ways due to the cottage fire at Harpway Lane and the main road through Sopley was closed until 8.30am this morning.
Firefighters were called at 5.41pm after reports of a fire.
On arrival crews were faced with a large incident where a thatch roof in the 18th Century cottage was well alight.
A spokesman for Hampshire Fire Service said: "The firefighters did a fantastic job in salvaging most of the contents of the house whilst fighting the fire from outside.
"During the fire the chimney stack had become unstable so it wasn't safe for our crews to fight the fire from inside. They tackled the fire from outside in a controlled manner."
Four Hampshire crews from the New Forest area were in attendance along with three crews from Dorset. An aerial ladder platform was also sent to the scene.
The cause of the fire is not yet know and an investigation will start in the morning to establish what happened.
A witness told the Daily Echo that flames were coming up through the roof with fire-fighters battling the fire that has taken hold in the thatch.
He said: “They are using breathing apparatus and rescuing as much furniture as possible and there's a stream that runs very close so it's possible they might use water from that.”
The witness said that the occupants of the house had managed to get out unharmed.
A worker at The Woolpack pub said she saw smoke coming from the roof at about 5.30pm-5.45pm so she went over to see if the neighbour was OK.
The lady who owns the property was using a garden hose to desperately put out the fire, said one witnesses
She said the owner was salvaging her belongings from the property but her first priority was to save her dog and cat, which are both being looked after the pub.
Eyewitnesses say 10 fire engines were at the scene.
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