Fire crews from Hampshire and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Services tackle thatch fire near Andover

Thatched property fire at Monxton ...

28 Nov 2011

Source: http://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/stories.htm?newsid=61161

At 1909 hours yesterday [Saturday 26 11 11] Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service control operators were alerted to a fire at a thatched property at Monxton Road, Monxton near Andover.  A total of six fire appliances were mobilised to the scene from Andover, Odiham, Alresford, Winchester and Basingstoke fire stations, including two fire appliances from Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The fire involved the thatched roof around the chimney of the cottage measuring 16 meters by 20 meters.  Firefighters used 2 CAFS jets and 1 hose reel to extinguish the fire before continuing to strip the damaged thatch from the roof.

Watch Manager Kevin Francis from Andover Fire Station who was part of the first crew in attendance said:

“A passer-by had noticed the fire around the chimney and alerted the occupant who was inside the property and unaware that the there was a fire.  Initially we mobilised to what was first thought to be a chimney fire.  However, more calls about the fire were coming into Fire Control and it quickly became apparent that the fire had spread and was involving the thatched roof so a full pre-determined attendance of fire appliances was mobilised to assist..  As we approached the village the flames were visible and up to 4ft above the height of the chimney stack and it was heavily smoke logged in the vicinity.”

He continued:

“Upon arrival firefighters investigated the interior of the property and crews were able to quickly asses the situation as the occupant had already ensured that access to the loft hatch was clear.  Once the it was established that there was no smoke or fire within the roof space firefighters assisted the house holder by salvaging items from the cottage.   Meanwhile, crews on the exterior of the property tackled the blaze around the chimney by using a Compressed Air Foam System.  This quickly killed the fire, which had tunnelled down about 6ft into the thatch, and enabled the firefighters to probe the thatch for any further hotspots and stop the fire from spreading further by targeting the foam at the affected areas.  Crews then worked together spending around three hours stripping the damaged thatch by hand which is a pretty arduous task.”

Ron Hedger who was the officer in charge of the incident advised:

“Crews did a fantastic job and this incident could have had a much more serious outcome.  Whilst statistically a home with a thatched roof has no greater tendency to catch fire than a home with a conventional roof, the difference is that, if a thatched roof does ignite, the fire can be very difficult to control and the consequences much more destructive.  An incident involving thatch is also usually extremely prolonged and also have a great demand on our resources and personnel.  However, in this case it is apparent that a combination of the firefighters use of the Compressed Air Foam System and traditional firefighting methods of creating a fire break in the thatch meant that length of time we were in attendance was reduced dramatically.  I am pleased to say that other than a few muddy footprints inside the cottage the occupant was extremely pleased and relieved to find that there was no water or fire damage inside the cottage as in this case it is also notable that damage to the property was minimal as the traditional method of using extensive amounts of water to extinguish the fire and dampen the thatch were not required.”