MORE than 150 people had to be evacuated from their Alresford homes on Tuesday evening after fire crews attending a garage fire were alerted to the possible presence of acetylene cylinders.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue services were called out the the semi-detached garage in Chestnut Walk at 8 pm and the blaze was well under way on their arrival.
Fire crews were then told by the owner that there were two cylinders in the garage that may contain acetylene, the gas used in welding and cutting torches.
Following fire service protocol, the crews then laid down ground monitors (stationary water hoses that do not need to be manned) and set about knocking on doors to clear the mandatory evacuation distance of 200 metres.
The evacuation was completed, and around 150 people were taken to the safety of Perins Community School. Meanwhile, fire crews battled to bring the blaze under control.
Appliances from Alresford were assisted by two appliances and a special equipment unit from Winchester. The fire was brought under control by about 10-20 pm, and the incident was closed shortly before midnight, without any explosion or injury taking place.
It is not yet known how the fire started, but the fire service is not treating the incident as suspicious.
A monitoring crew went back to the garage at 6 am the next morning to inspect the site. They found a couple of remaining hotspots which were promptly damped down.
David Askew from the press office of Hampshire Fire and Rescue, said: ÒYou have to be very careful when gas cylinders become involved in an ordinary fire situation. The effect is much like letting a bomb off.
ÒNot only is there the explosion to worry about, but the metal of the cylinder tends to fragment and shoot out from the explosion much like shrapnel. This is why we were forced to evacuate the area.Ó