Garden sheds in Portchester could have 'exploded' after dumped cigarette sparks dangerous fire
FIREFIGHTERS have issued a safety warning after a ‘carelessly discarded cigarette’ sparked a devastating blaze which could have caused a ‘bomb-like’ explosion.
The drama erupted shortly after 6.30pm yesterday at a property in Sunningdale Road, Portchester.
A young man, living in the property, had been having a cigarette inside the shed before dumping the spent stub inside the outhouse – which contained a number of flammable gas cylinders.
The cigarette ignited a fire in the shed which rapidly spread and created an inferno, as gas from the cylinders vented out, fuelling the flames.
Within minutes the blaze had engulfed the shed and spread to neighbouring ones.
Families tried desperately in vain to extinguish the fire with garden hoses but were beaten back by the heat.
Firefighters from Cosham and Portchester were called in to fight the flames.
Watch manager Steve Pearce, of Cosham fire station, led the response and said things could have been so much worse.
He said: ‘The owner of the property’s son was having a cigarette in the shed and carelessly discarded it in there.
‘There were gas cylinders for the barbecue and plastic heaters in this shed, which were involved. Thankfully they vented off as they were meant to. So there was no explosion.
‘But this could have been extremely dangerous. It would have created a hell of a lot of damage if they had exploded. It would have been like a bomb strike’
Crews used three high-pressure hose reels and fought the fire for about 90 minutes.
Watch manager Pearce added the situation had left the family shaken.
‘The family were obviously shocked,’ he said. ‘It went up so fast because it was fuelled by the venting gas of the cylinders.
‘They had tried to extinguish it by using garden hoses but they were beaten back by the flames. They didn’t stand a chance.’
He has since issued a warning, urging people to be careful where they smoke and to watch were they dispose of their cigarettes.
He said: ‘Smoking in a shed isn’t the smartest thing to do. They often have gas cylinders and other things here they smoke.
‘Care should be taken over discarding smoking material.’