AN EARLY morning blaze in Overton yesterday that caused severe damage to a house is not thought to be suspicious, firefighters have revealed.

A spokesperson for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said their fire investigation team were not required to attend the site, and the fire was not thought to be suspicious.

The spokesperson also confirmed that the incident commander has been tasked to find out what caused the fire that broke out at the base of the roof space of Lampool House, on Station Road.

Around 30 firefighters had to rush to the centre of the village on Thursday morning after the blaze.

It caused severe damage to the building, but thankfully there were no casualties. One person was treated for non life-threatening smoke inhalation and was taken to Basingstoke hospital.

Fire crews, which were on scene until 10.45, returned to the scene in mid-afternoon to complete a re-inspection, to check for remaining hotspots and examine the building integrity.

Fire engines from Basingstoke, Andover, Overton and Eastleigh were in attendance, along with support vehicles including the aerial ladder platform.

The crews were first called at 7:29 when the incident was reported to the HIWFRS Control Room and it was unknown at the time if there were people inside.

Upon arrival crews quickly ascertained that all persons were out of the two-storey building.

The stop message came in at 10:45 with the fire now extinguished.

The property has suffered significant damage from the fire, smoke and water.

Eight sets of breathing apparatus were worn and three jets and two hose reels used to stop the blaze.

Before leaving the scene crews distributed fire safety leaflets to neighbouring properties.

Incident commander Ewen Ross said: “Initially when we arrived at the scene, we were confronted with a fully developed fire in the roof space of the building.

“Our first concern was the safety of the occupants and luckily everyone had already been evacuated from the building before we arrived.

“We quickly got to work to tackle the fire in the roof space and brought the fire under control.

“I would like to say thank you to our colleagues in the police and the ambulance service who we have been working very closely with and to the residents of Overton who have also been a great help.”