Firefighters rush to Southsea house fire amid fears elderly couple trapped inside

Portsmouth firefighters were called to the blaze on Britannia Road North at 1.49pm.

‘It was believed that there was an elderly couple still within the property as Cosham and Southsea crews arrived on scene, but it was soon found there was nobody inside,’ a spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

The fire was located within a boiler in a first-floor bathroom before it was extinguished using two sets of breathing apparatus, one jet and two hose reels.

Fire crews conducted a salvage operation of the property due to a burst water pipe.

A visit to the location was completed by the fire service with community safety leaflets distributed to houses.

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Crews left the scene following the stop message at 2.53pm.

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