Firefighters battle Portsmouth flat fire after occupant wakes up to lounge blaze caused by candle
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THE occupant of a flat in Portsmouth woke up in horror as their lounge was engulfed in flames.
Firefighters from Southsea and Cosham rushed to the Montague Road property yesterday morning.
A lit candle caused the blaze, with the fire spreading across the flat.
The tenant was only awoken by the smoke alarm which was ringing round the building.
Emergency personnel in breathing apparatus tackled the first-floor inferno at 6am, fully evacuating the building and using jets to extinguish the flames.
Ventilation fans were used to clear the smoke.
No one was injured, and crews delivered fire safety messaging to neighbouring properties before returning to station at 7.29am.
Station manager Lee Sheen said it is vital for homes to have working smoke alarms, and gave advice about using candles.
He added: ‘It’s really important that candles are never left unattended and that they are kept away from anything that could catch fire such as curtains, furniture or clothes.’