Fire crews battle blaze at Hampshire steam railway
Over 50 firefighters were needed to take on a huge fire at a tourist attraction in Hampshire on Monday night due to the possibility of explosions from gas cylinders.
The fire at Ropley station, which is the engineering centre, on the Watercress Line steam railway attraction led to the area being cordoned off amid fears the extreme heat would cause the cylinders to blow.
The fire, which gave off smoke that could be seen for miles around, was reported to have started at 1750 GMT within a new lottery-funded workshop containing a number of carriages and a diesel engine on the Station Hill site.
People were kept back as firefighters from Alresford, Alton, Basingstoke, Bishop’s Waltham, Droxford, Eastleigh, Petersfield and Winchester continued to fight the flames and monitor temperatures within the oxyacetylene cylinders until they were down to a safe level.
The 10 mile long Watercress Line is a popular attraction for tourists and a great example of British railway heritage. The steam trains on the Mid-Hants Railway run between stations at Alresford and Alton.
A spokesperson for the fire service has confirmed that there were no injuries following the blaze. However, the exact cause is still unknown and an investigation has now been launched.
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