Woman, 25, is lifeless and man in his 60s is combating for his life after a home fireplace
A woman has died and a man is fighting for his life after a devastating fire at a family home.
The woman, 25, died after the property was ravaged by a ‘tunnel of fire’ at around 10.50pm on Saturday, while the man, in his 60s, is in a life-threatening condition.
She was trapped as the fire spread upstairs at the burning property in Northlands Road, Totton, in Hampshire.
The woman’s parents fled the home while local residents battled the blaze before the emergency services arrived.
Fire crews were unable to reach the top of the property because the stairs had been destroyed.
Neighbour John Reid fought to subdue what he at first believed was a small fire at the front of the property as his wife Jo called the fire brigade after their son Jay alerted them to the blaze.
The fire blasted away the front door revealing a devastating ‘tunnel of fire’ inside the property, he said.
‘I heard the mum and dad. They were in the back garden. Sadly their daughter – they couldn’t get her down,’ Jo told the Daily Echo.
A woman has died and a man is fighting for his life after a devastating fire at a family home
The woman died on Saturday night after the property on Northlands Road, Totton, in Hampshire burned
The woman is believed to have been trapped upstairs in the property as fire spread upstairs
‘The smoke was acrid, I couldn’t even breath.
‘I just got a chair and blankets and sat with the parents. They were in shock.’
Another neighbour, Janet Newman, 72, added: ‘Horrible horrible horrible. It is really sad. Dreadful. It is very quiet around here normally.
‘I am just so sorry that someone lost their life.’
A Hampshire police spokesman said: ‘Sadly, despite the very best efforts of the emergency services, a 25-year-old woman was pronounced deceased at the scene.
‘Her next of kin have been notified.
‘A man in his 60s, who was also inside the property at the time, has been taken to hospital and is in a life-threatening condition.
‘We and our Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service partners will remain at the scene for the duration of the day as our enquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire.
‘A file will be prepared for the coroner in due course.
‘We would ask that people respect the family’s privacy at this unimaginably difficult time and refrain from any speculation.’
