HIWFRS crews busy dealing with Storm Eunice call-outs

The effects of Storm Eunice are being felt across Hampshire and Isle of Wight today.

Our firefighters have been busy dealing with lots of different types of incidents with our Control Room taking more than 200 calls since 11am and managing to maintain our response while providing advice to members of the public reporting fallen trees and damage to property where life isn’t endangered.

Check out who you need to call depending on the circumstances here – bit.ly/HIWFRSEunice.

We urge that you only dial 999 in an emergency.

Crews have been busy dealing with blown off rooftops, collapsed walls and scaffolding, fallen trees and loose signage where there is a risk it could cause harm to the public.

Here is a selection of some of the incidents our teams across Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service have been dealing with throughout Storm Eunice:

• A Southsea crew were called at 10:38 to a remove a number of tiles from a roof on Copnor Road which, after assessment by an officer, were at risk of falling.
• Andover firefighters attended an overturned lorry on Old Stockbridge Road in Middle Wallop at 10:41, where fortunately no persons were trapped and the crews were able to make the scene safe.
• Officers in Basingstoke were called to assess a metal frame which had been bolted to ground, but had come loose, as well as to a bus stop on Woodroffe Drive in which the concrete foundations had uprooted. Both incidents were safe and didn’t require further HIWFRS involvement.
• Firefighters from Emsworth and Havant provided scene safety after a large tree had fallen causing a road traffic collision on New Brighton Road at 11:19 this morning. Fortunately, there were no casualties involved in the one vehicle collision. The incident was left with Hampshire Constabulary partners as HIWFRS returned to station at 11:33.
• A 20ft grain silo had become unstable in the wind and had moved from its footings. The roof had blown down Hinton Manor Lane in Horndean and was blocking the road. An officer from HIWFRS was called to assess the situation and whether further resources were required.
• A Newport crew were sent to Staplers Road after a part of a lamppost was hanging off and affecting an electrical cable. The crew made the scene safe before returning to station at 11:26 this morning.
• Along with a Ryde crew, Newport firefighters attended Lushington Hill at 11:29 after trees had fallen, taking down power lines which were left on the road. Police colleagues were called to close the road as HIWFRS made the scene safe.
• Basingstoke firefighters were called at 11:03 this morning after the roof of a garage on Lewis Close had partially blown off. The crews worked to secure the remaining metal sheets to the roof before leaving the scene at around midday.
• An officer was mobilised to assess a property which had been damaged in the storm on Gladys Avenue in Cowplain this morning. Occupiers were advised against entering the property, the area cordoned off and the gas supply isolated.
• Hayling Island firefighters removed a section of a flat roof which had partially blown off at a house on Meath Close this morning. Electric saws were used to cut away part of the roof before the incident was handed over to the property owner.
• A Gosport crew removed a dangerous part of signage which had come loose from the front of a pub on Cuckoo Lane in Fareham this morning. Romsey firefighters were mobilised and took the same actions at a similar incident in Market Place.
• Firefighters in Fleet were mobilised to a tree which had fallen onto power cables causing them to arc, on Florence Road. With the tree still smouldering crews put a cordon in place before requesting the electricity company to attend.
• A section of wall collapsed onto the top of the flat roof of a hairdressers on Shirley High Street in Southampton this morning. An HIWFRS officer attended the scene to assess the damage and advise the owner on next steps.
• Tiles which had fallen from a rooftop onto a footpath on Swanage Road in Lee-on-the-Solent was cordoned off by a fire service officer, who then provided advice to the two adjoining property owners.
• HIWFRS were called to assess Storm Eunice damage to the back of a property on Kensington Road in Portsmouth at midday. Part of the outer wall had collapsed, and the chimney breast was secure, although it had twisted. The resident was able to stay with a relative as the officer cordoned off the dangerous area.
• A conifer tree had fallen onto the roof of a home on Headley Road in Grayshott, an on-call crew from Liphook responded to make the scene safe.
• After a large tree had fallen, exposing electricity cables at a playground on Elm Lane in Havant, Emsworth firefighters attended to provide scene safety and hand the incident over to the electricity company.
• We were called to a block of 12 flats in Howe Road, Gosport, at 11:52 today. The roof of the building was severely damaged and is unsafe. One of our fire officers has assisted police with the evacuation of the flats, with residents taken to a local rest centre. We have now left the scene.
• The canvas material on a 15^th floor viewing platform rooftop had split shortly before midday. Firefighters secured the loose rubber roofing material at the Gosport property.
• A tree on Mill Lane in Southampton fell onto a power cable causing it to arc at 12pm this afternoon. There was no fire and no life risk, with the incident left to the electricity company and advice passed to neighbouring properties.
• Southsea firefighters closed Fawcett Road briefly this afternoon as they used the aerial ladder platform to remove loose bricks and debris from the rooftop, some of which had fallen onto the path below. An alleyway in Compton Place was also cordoned off due to similar falling brickwork.
• A crew from Andover were mobilised to a property on Highlands Road where the rear section of the roof of two detached properties had been blown off. HIWFRS made the scene safe, put in cordons and checked the welfare of residents before handing over to police colleagues.
• A Southsea crew cleared up a small amount of stone which had fallen from the roof of a shop on London Road before cordoning off the area this afternoon.
• Newport firefighters on the Isle of Wight made use of the aerial ladder platform to secure a metal panel on the first-floor roof of a garage on Well Road in East Cowes.
• The roof of an outbuilding at a school on Chamberlayne Road in Eastleigh had blown off and was hanging over a pedestrian alleyway. After making the scene safe, a fire officer handed the incident over to the building’s contractors.
• A high voltage cable in Soberton snapped due to the strong winds from Storm Eunice, causing a small fire involving decking at a property on Selworth Lane. On-call firefighters from Droxford made the scene safe and handed the incident over to the electricity company to isolate the cables.
• A number of solar panels which had come loose from the top of a block of flats on Badger Close, were secured by Eastleigh firefighters at around 3pm.
• St Mary’s firefighters used the aerial ladder platform to recover a loose cladding panel which was in danger of falling, from the roof of a 40-foot tall building on London Road in Southampton.
• A fire officer attended a school on Harrow Way in Andover where a large marquee had come loose and had been blown across the playing field. HIWFRS advised the caretaker how to safely deconstruct the structure and limit damage.
• An officer and the aerial ladder from Newport went to All Saints Church, Newchurch, at 08:40 on Saturday (19 February) after the church spire suffered storm damage and was hanging down. The scene was made safe.
• Southsea’s aerial ladder was used to remove loose tiles that were deemed dangerous in Marmion Road on Saturday morning.