A retired hotelier and his partner has been left homeless after a huge blaze tore through their £1million thatched house.
Up to 80 firefighters took on the gigantic fire which broke out at the historic property in Lower Foyle near Alton in Hampshire in the early hours of this morning.
Gordon Mitchell, 71, looked devastated as he stood outside the 18th century Grade II listed country home which was ‘100 per cent’ destroyed.
It is thought the fire started from a spark in the chimney.
Up to 80 firefighters took on the gigantic fire which broke out at the historic property in Lower Foyle near Alton in Hampshire in the early hours of this morning
Gordon Mitchell, 71, looked devastated as he stood outside the 18th century Grade II listed country home which was ‘100 per cent’ destroyed
As neighbours rallied in a bid to salvage items from the ground floor of the picture postcard cottage, Mr Mitchell, a former company director, said he was ‘absolutely gutted.’
Firefighters from 19 stations were called to the scene after a neighbour spotted some of the thatch alight and dialled 999.
He managed to tap loudly on the window to warn Mr Mitchell and his partner that the roof was on fire.
Fire crews arrived within 15 minutes and spent the night tackling the flames before changing shift at daybreak today continue dampening down the straw and looking for any hotspots left in the building.
Firefighters from 19 stations were called to the scene after a neighbour spotted some of the thatch alight and dialled 999
Fire crews arrived within 15 minutes and spent the night tackling the flames before changing shift at daybreak
Today emergency services remained at the scene to dampen down the straw and quell any hotspots left in the building.
Looking into the ruined first floor from the lawn, Mr Mitchell said: ‘It’s all gone – everything’
Mr Mitchell said that it would take ‘a very long time’ to rebuild the house and that he expected his large family to rally around and look after he and his partner over Christmas.
Looking into the ruined first floor from the lawn he said: ‘It’s all gone. Everything.’
A fire commander at the scene said that crews were making extensive searches in the property of a hugely sentimental ring which belonged to Mr Mitchell’s partner and was missing among the debris.
Neighbours from around the quiet country village arrived at the scene with wheelbarrows and boxes to help salvage what they could from the wreckage
The retired hotelier said that he planned to rebuild the property in Froyle Lane but because it was Grade II listed, he would probably still have to have a thatched roof.
He said that he believed the fire was caused from the thatched roof being set alight from a spark flying out of the chimney.
Neighbours from around the quiet country village arrived at the scene with wheelbarrows and boxes to help salvage what they could from the wreckage.
Mr Mitchell said: ‘My next door neighbour phoned the fire brigade. We were in and didn’t know the roof was ablaze but he saw the flames up on the roof.
‘He phoned the fire brigade and knocked on our window and said ‘you’ve got a fire on your roof.’ We reckon that was within minutes of of it starting..
‘The fire brigade came very promptly which was remarkable in a village.
‘At the moment we are just getting out of it what we can. We saved most of the ground floor stuff but the first floor… just went.
‘Thatches are a problem obviously, pretty much made up of a combustable material.
He praised the number of firefighters and emergency crews who attended the scene and described the response as ‘brilliant’.
Mr Mitchell and his partner had lived in the pretty thatched home for five years.
He said: ‘The next plans are that we have to rebuild, which will take a long time, the whole process, planning.
Mr Mitchell praised the number of firefighters and emergency crews who attended the scene and described the response as ‘brilliant’
Devastating photos show the picturesque homes overwhelmed by the fire
Alight: Dozens of firefighters from across Hampshire helped tackle the blaze which completely gutted the picturesque properties
‘Because it is a Grade II listed building in a conservation area I imagine the planners would insist on it being replaced as it was,’ he said.
He went on to show his gratitude towards his neighbours and said: ‘They have all been absolutely brilliant. We’ve been staying overnight with our next door neighbours who have also been brilliant.
‘Christmas is obviously coming. We have a lot of family and some of our family will look after us over Christmas.’
When asked if he was insured he simply said: ‘Of course we were.’
Bruce Gordon, station commander for East Hampshire Fire Service explained what the firefighters were doing at the scene today.
He said: ‘They are basically salvaging and looking for anything of sentimental value, in particular a ring the lady is missing. Today they are making sure it is safe and salvaging as much as they can.’
He said the next step would be for the community safety department to speak to neighbours and offer advice on fire safety to help keep the whole area safe.
A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue service said: ‘Firefighters responded to a fire in the thatched roof of a property in Froyle Lane, Alton.
‘Crews attended from Farnham, Alton, Rushmoor, Guildford, Basingstoke, Fleet, Hartley Witney, Eastleigh, Liphook, Yateley, Alresford, Bordon, Droxford, Kingsclere, Cosham, Grayshott, Hightown, Sutton Scotney and Bishops Waltham during the incident.
‘The roof and first floor of the detached two storey building was 100 per cent destroyed by fire and the ground floor was 100 per cent destroyed by fire, smoke and water.
‘The fire was tackled with 12 breathing apparatus, four jets and the use of one aerial ladder platform. No one was harmed or injured during the incident. Crews have remained at the scene to damp down and turn over the area to ensure scene safety. The stop came in at 04:59am.’