News: Field fire threatens HBS site
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service yesterday put out a field fire that threatened the propane and oil tanks at HBS in Chilbolton.
At 4:30pm yesterday, emergency services were notified of a blaze in the field south of Drove Road between HBS Fuels and Stonefield Park.
Crews from Basingstoke, Alton, Andover, Beaulieu, Whitchurch, Overton, Alresford, Rushmoor, Sutton Scotney and Stockbridge attended, alongside an Incident Command Unit. Some 50 firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.
Smoke seen from Drove Road, taken from outside the HWIFRS cordon (Credit: Debbie Collis)
The fire destroyed some 50 hectares (123 acres) of the field, but was brought under control by 7:30pm.
Of greatest concern for firefighters were the oil and propane tanks at HBS Fuels, which was threatened from three sides by the fire.
Water was sprayed onto the tanks by multiple hose reel jets and fan sprays to keep them cool.
Protecting the propane tanks (Credit: HWIFRS)
HBS weren’t the only people concerned about the proximity of the flames. Chilbolton Flying Club were worried about how close the fire came to their runway, which is next to Stonefield Park. They all keep their aeroplanes there.
Owen Sparrow, who flies from Chilbolton, managed to get a photograph of the extent of the damage.
View of the fire from the North (Credit: Owen Sparrow)
By 9:30pm a “stop” command was given but inspections took place overnight.
A firefighting crew from Sutton Scotney returned to the scene this morning to carry out another inspection. According to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, “they found no signs of smoke or hotspots and confirmed that no further re-inspections are needed.”
Map showing the area of the fire (within red line)
Fields and hedges around HBS have been left charred.
Blackened and charred fields and hedges (Credit: HWIFRS)
Speaking to the Hampshire Chronicle, an HBS spokesman said “It was quite a fright, mainly because of how quickly it spread. But we have precautionary systems in place on site, including automatic shutdown measures, and everything worked as it should.”
He pointed out that HBS staff had worked closely with the Fire and Rescue Service, saying “The firefighters put all the barriers in place to make sure the fire wasn’t spreading into the adjacent fields, and the neighbours were all informed.”
Today, despite charred hedges and the blackened field beyond, it was back to work as usual at HBS.
HBS - back to work