THE fire service group manager on the scene of a devastating roof fire in Charlton this morning, caused by a lightning strike, has issued an appeal to residents to check their smoke alarms and exit routes, praising those affected for their quick action.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) group manager, Andy Weeks, told the Advertiser: “We were mobilised at 4.37am to a lightning strike on Mercia Avenue.

“Crews arrived to find the roof of one of the properties well alight and the roof of the adjoining property well alight too, so very challenging to begin with to get water pumps in and start tackling the fire.

“The priority was making sure no one was inside and thankfully everyone was out. We were then firefighting to control the fire spread and to reduce damage and also in terms of salvaging as many personal items as we can from inside the properties.”

A total of six pumps and crews from Whitchurch, Amesbury, Ludgershall, Winchester, Overton, Rushmoor and Basingstoke attended the scene, where the fire had spread to the adjoining property.

Andy Weeks continued: “On one of the properties the fire has taken out the roof, which collapsed into the first floor and also led to damage down to the ground floor. As we were fighting the fire, there is a lot of water damage inside. In the other property, water damage throughout. First floor was mainly affected, but again water damage from fighting the fire on the roof.

“We had ambulance services, SCAS attended and looked at one person who we were concerned about, that’s all I can tell you but they weren’t admitted to hospital.”

A 70-year-old woman was treated by paramedics at the scene.

Sending a message of reassurance to residents, Any Weeks reiterated that the best way to ensure safety in such a situation is to have working fire alarms and know your evacuation routes.

“We are happy with the work we’ve done to this point now. We will reinspect the property in approximately two hours to see that there has been no more flare ups or fire spread,” he said.

“It’s very difficult for us to get inside because of the damage to the property and we’ve got some fairly unstable walls there as well so the main area around it is cornered off at the moment and we will just come back to reinspect and make sure that we don’t have any hotspots that need to be dealt with.

“The best advice we can give is to make sure you have working smoke alarms, that you test regularly. Make sure you know your route out of your property, you know how to get out. And if you have any questions or you’re unsure, contact your local fire and rescue service.”