Firefighters tackle Southampton shop blaze

This week, fire crews from the Hampshire area were called to a serious fire at a ground floor shop in the Newtown area of Southampton.

Firefighters from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, arriving at the scene, had to safely evacuate 18 residents early on Thursday morning.

At 4:40am fire crews were alerted to the danger at the shop in Derby Road and when they got there they could see how the fire was developing in this terraced area.

There were reports of injuries to three people, with two treated at the scene and the other sent to hospital with back injuries, but the swift work of fire personnel meant that the majority of residents were able to be led safely from their homes.

Watch Manager of St. Mary’s Community Fire Station, Shaun Cheeseman, said:

“By giving an early warning of fire, the working smoke alarm has given precious minutes for these residents to escape, and has no doubt saved their lives. This was a challenging fire that was well-alight on our arrival and our specialist fire investigation team are now working closely with the Police to establish the cause.”

The blaze was eventually brought under control by firefighters and so the investigation has now started into how the fire was started.