50 Firefighters Tackle Cottage Blaze

Fifty firefighters have contained a fire in the roof of a thatched farmhouse in the New Forest on Tuesday night (October 16).

Control operators received a 999 call from the occupier and mobilised crews to the cottage on Romsey Road, Cadnam, just before 17:30.

They discovered a fire in the roof and loft space and swiftly applied compressed foam and water to contain the blaze.

The prompt action confined the flames to one end of the roof of the L-shaped construction and firefighters also cut away parts of the thatch to stop the spread of the flames.

Group Manager Dan Tasker said:

 "An early call from the occupier allowed us to get to the property and get to work quickly.

"The first crews worked incredibly efficiently and professionally to restrict the fire to one part of the roof.

"Their hard work under a lot of pressure helped to prevent any spread to the property itself and also minimise water damage to the inside."

Crews from Lyndhurst, Totton, Romsey, Eastleigh, Ringwood, Fordingbridge, Lymington, St Mary's and Beaulieu initially tackled the blaze, with relief crews from across the New Forest and Southampton called to take over later in the evening.

Fire crews will remain on the scene into the early hours to ensure the fire is fully extinguished and no hot spots remain.