Crews tackle pub fire in Hill Head Road, Fareham

Crews tackled a large fire on the waterfront in Fareham, after smoke and flames were seen from the roof of a pub-restaurant in the early hours of the morning.

Around 10 fire engines and support vehicles were alerted at around 2.30am, after on-site staff had safely evacuated the building.

Residents nearby were advised to keep their doors and windows closed due to the smoke, and due to the large number of emergency vehicles, people were requested to avoid Hill Head Road which was blocked off.

Crews from Fareham, Gosport, Cosham, Portchester, Southsea, Eastleigh, Hightown and Beaulieu were on the scene tackling the significant roof space fire in the three-storey building.

Specialist vehicles including water carriers and the Environmental Protection Unit attended to support the operation.

Relief crews from Wickham, Waterlooville, Botley, Hamble, Bishop’s Waltham, Droxford, Havant and Hayling Island were alerted to the incident later into the morning in order to take over from the firefighters who had been working overnight.

Once the fire was under control Incident Commander Jim Clarke had time to address the media:

“We are currently using six fire engines, the aerial ladder and jets to dampen down hotspots.

“We anticipate an emergency service presence for a large portion of the day and we’re liaising with local residents about safety precautions such as keeping doors and windows closed whilst the incident is ongoing.

“There is sadly a significant amount of damage to the building. Our empathy is with the owners, staff and local residents as we know The Osborne View is an asset to the community.”

The incident was scaled down as the majority of crews returned to station at around the time of the stop message at 14:47.

Firefighters left the scene, with one crew is set to return in the morning to conduct a reinspection, checking for any remaining hotspots.

Fire investigation officers attended the scene for an initial look into the cause. At this stage it is believed the blaze was caused by an electrical fault involving a tumble drier.