Three cottages have been destroyed after a fire ripped through a terrace of thatched cottages near Barton Stacey.

At the height of the blaze, over 100 firefighters and 19 fire engines from across Hampshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire were tackling the flames as they fought to save a fourth cottage on the site.

The team was successful in saving the cottage, and carried out a salvage operation to rescue as many items as possible from the homes.

Incident Commander Rob Cole said he was “pleased” that they managed to save one of the cottages, and thanked the fire crews for their work.

Due to the flammable nature of their roofs, thatched buildings are more at risk of fires than other properties. According to Hampshire Fire and Rescue, over 90 per cent of fires in thatched properties are caused by faulty flues or chimneys. Once on fire, thatch blazes are very difficult to extinguish.

Fire crews were first called to the fires in The Barracks, Bransbury at 4:17pm on Sunday, March 7. Firefighters found that the fire had already taken hold in the roof space of two thatched cottages, before spreading to a third. The buildings were part of a terrace with a fourth thatched property, which they battled to save.

WATCH DRONE FOOTAGE OF FIREFIGHTERS TACKLING THE BLAZE

Ten people who lived in the properties were accounted for as crews fought the fire, with firefighters recovering as many of their belongings as possible while the fires burned.

Tackling the blaze required 116 firefighters and 19 fire engines at its height, with teams from Andover, Sutton Scotney, Basingstoke and as far away as Eastleigh and Totton summoned to fight the fire. A specialist aerial platform from Basingstoke was brought in, as was the environmental protection team from Romsey.

They were supported by the Andover Rapid Relief Team, who provided 300 hot meals and 400 hot drinks to emergency personnel at the scene, as well as Hampshire Constabulary and South Central Ambulance Service. The Red Cross were also present, being asked to provide emergency support for the residents of the cottages.

Though the chimneys of two cottages collapsed, firefighters had the blaze under enough control by 4:00am to reduce their presence to just two pumps who remain on scene this morning to remove the thatch and protect the fourth cottage. Bransbury Road was also reopened.

Three of the four cottages were totally destroyed by the incident, whilst the fourth remains safe and unaffected. They will be inspected by a fire officer and an Urban Search and Rescue structural engineer to assess their safety.

Incident Commander Rob Cole said: “Thank you to all the emergency services who attended this unfortunate incident and worked hard throughout the night to save the properties and household belongings. Thankfully, there were no casualties and we’re pleased one of the cottages could be saved.

“I’d like to extend my thanks to our firefighters and control room staff, and also thank SCAS, Hampshire Police, BRC, and our border colleagues Dorset and Wiltshire and Royal Berkshire fire services for their support.”