Fire swept through row of cottages last night (From This is Hampshire)
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Gaggle of geese rescued from burning buildings
1:02pm Saturday 22nd September 2012 in News By Helen Morton
A ROW of farm cottages near Overton were badly damaged last night after fire swept through the shared roof space.
The blaze also spread into the first floor of the cottages at South Litchfield but more than 40 firefighters worked quickly to prevent the flames spreading to the lower half of the properties.
The occupants of the cottages all escaped without harm and a gaggle of geese was also safely rescued from one of the buildings.
It is believed the cause of the fire may have been a defect in the chimney of one of the cottages.
Group Manager Jerry Leonard said: "It appears the occupants had lit the fire for the first time this winter and the chimney defect meant the rising heat set the roof space ablaze.
"As people begin to light their fires, it is a very timely reminder of the importance of keeping chimneys and flues well maintained.
"Many fires remain confined to the chimney but, as in this case, they can spread and lead to a much more serious blaze. Through regular maintenance most chimney fires are preventable.”
Control room operators received the 999 call at 17.17 and mobilised crews from Overton, Whitchurch, Basingstoke, Winchester, Eastleigh, Andover and Rushmoor.
One jet, three hose reels and the aerial ladder platform were used to tackle the blaze. The roofs of the three cottages were completely destroyed, while the first floors were also badly damaged.
Group Manager Leonard said: "Water supplies were very limited due to the remote location and the crews did a great job in containing the fire with limited resources."
