A late night fire has broken out at a rural cottage near the village of Havenstreet tonight (Wednesday), resulting in 2 people being rushed to hospital.
It was at around 23:00 that Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service mobilised appliances to Combley Road following a 999 call to the control room.
A total of 4 appliances from Ryde, Newport and Shanklin are now on scene just off Briddlesford Road, with a water carrier from Ventnor also in attendance.
Firefighters are currently working to contain and extinguish the blaze – which is sending smoke into the moonlit night sky – using breathing apparatus and hose reel jets.
It is unclear at this early stage what has sparked the incident and the extent of the damage caused, but it is known the situation developed quickly with no obvious signs of fire at 22:30.
Island Echo understands 2 people have been taken to St Mary’s Hospital by the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service. An ambulance crew, rapid response paramedic and operational commander have all responded.
Police are on scene but there are no signs at this stage that the fire is anything more than accidental.
Combley Road has been closed in both directions for a short distance, with access to and from Havenstreet is still possible.
UPDATE THURSDAY – It has been confirmed that significant damage has been caused to the property, with the fire taking hold of both the ground and first floors.
Thanks to the swift action of firefighters, the neighbouring property has escaped any significant damage. Positive pressure ventilation was used to stop the spread of the flames.
Local residents were evacuated as a precaution.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
We're working on bringing you all the latest updates on this breaking news story.
Refresh this page or check back later for updates...
Do you have information, photos or video relating to this incident? Email [email protected]
How awful , I hope the injured householders are ok.
I hope that they were insured?