MY DAUGHTER is in there – that’s what neighbours heard a man shout after a blaze ripped through a Popley house this morning.

Two people managed to escape the blazing end-of-terrace property in Buckfast Close, Popley, at around 5am today.

But a third person – a female whose age has not been disclosed – was pronounced dead at the scene, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service have said.

Police said the person’s next-of-kin have been informed. Bunches of flowers have been left by a tree outside the damaged house.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, told The Gazette that he was woken before 5am by shouting.

He said: “It was a man shouting that his daughter was in there.

“I ran to the back of their house and the man kept on shouting that his daughter was there. He was in his neighbour’s garden and was being held back by his neighbour.

“But a girl sat outside told him there was no-one in the house so I decided to leave it.”

The man said he could see flames rolling across the ground floor lounge ceiling and up into the air. Minutes later, firefighters arrived, and they broke windows in the house in their attempts to get inside and tackle the fire, he said.

A woman told The Gazette that the three other homes in the terrace were evacuated while the firefighters tackled the blaze.

She said: “It was traumatic, but the fire crews were very brave. There were older people having to flee their homes and they were cared for by other local residents.”

Other neighbours reported being woken by flashing blue lights and seeing smoke billowing out of the windows of the house.

Fire control received seven calls about the blaze, which was tackled by crews in eight breathing apparatus, by two main jets and two hose reel jets.

Fire service group manager Jerry Leonard said: "Two other occupants of the building managed to escape and were making valiant attempts to try and re-enter the building, but the fire was of such a magnitude that it was just not possible."

The cause of the fire is unknown and a joint investigation has been launched by the fire service and the police.

Police officers were sat in a patrol car parked outside the house this afternoon, with a small cordon in place.

Fire dogs from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, used to detect the cause of fires, were also seen at the property.