Bransbury blaze: Three cottages '100% destroyed' while fourth remains safe
Video report by ITV News Meridian's Rachel Hepworth
Three cottages have been '100% destroyed' in a blaze in Bransbury near Winchester.
It began on the roof of one of the homes just before 4:15pm on Sunday afternoon along The Barracks.
At its height, 19 fire engines and 116 firefighters were tackling the flames.
Video credit: Mike King
Two chimneys of cottages on the row of four have since collapsed.
Ten people from across the four properties were safe and accounted for.
Crews worked throughout the night to stop the fire as well as trying to save as many belongings from the houses affected.
While three of the four cottages have been 100% destroyed, the fourth remains unaffected.
An inspection of the properties will be carried out by an officer and an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) structural engineer.
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."
Bransbury Lane remains closed while emergency services continue their work.
Although thatch fires are not common, over 90% of thatch roof fires start as a result of a faulty flue or chimney.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service say there are many ways for a thatched property to catch; from ejected embers, chimney fires, failures in chimney brickwork/mortar, electrical faults, or external factors like fireworks or sky lanterns.