A Chandler's Ford man has told of the moment he grabbed hoses to tackle a fire ripping through a shed.
Firefighters were called to the “large” fire on Fryern Close just before 5.30pm today.
Crews from Eastleigh rushed to the scene before being supported by other crews from Redbridge and two from St Mary’s.
They were faced with huge flames as residents saw the fire spread to three other sheds.
Fire investigation teams are investigating the cause.
Footage shows the flames tearing through an overhead cable as residents watched in shock.
Residents in the area were left without power, with SSE saying it should be back by 1am.
(Image: Other)
Video from Tyler Bolam shared with the Echo: pic.twitter.com/qizLGq6SyS
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Resident Jeff Hayes was one of the those taking action once he realised what was happening.
The 56-year-old told the Echo: “I was down in the shed and the lights were flickering. My missus came down and said that there was a fire next door.
“So I ran out the door into the neighbours’ garden and got their hose and it was just a dribble.
"So I went into the next door neighbour, jumped over the gate, my daughter passed my hose and I was squirting the fire and it was literally heading down their fence towards the houses.
He added: “I was doing what I could but then I saw the barbecue with the gas cylinder and at that point, I thought it was time to get out.”
He described the cloud of thick black smoke casting a shadow on the skies above the homes.
The smoke as the fire tears through shed in Chandlers Ford (Image: Submitted)
“It was a dark cloud of smoke”, the mini digger driver said. “There were flames shooting up, loads of banging and crackling.”
He added: “My first thought was just to things moved to try stop it. It was quite a scare.”
He joined with many residents thanking the firefighters for their swift response.
Fire tears through shed in Chandlers Ford (Image: Submitted)
Station manager Stu Botto told the Echo: “On arrival crews from Eastleigh were met with quite a well-developed fire so they put a message out for further assistance so we had five fire engines.
“There were two crews from Eastleigh, one from Redbridge and two from St Mary’s.
“We brought the fire under control quite quickly but it has spread to other sheds and outbuildings but thankfully no one was injured.”
He added an investigation has been launched to ascertain the cause of the fire.
A spokesperson for SSE said: “We will continue to update this message with any new information. At this stage, we're aiming to have your power restored by 01:00 July 25.
“We have had reports of an overhead power line coming down. When this happens, the power will automatically turn off to keep everyone safe.
“Our engineers know exactly where the problem is and are working hard to make the situation safe, repair the wire and get your power back on.”
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