Residents were evacuated after a blaze at flats complex in Hampshire.

Fire crews from Romsey, Eastleigh, St Mary's and Redbridge were called to the fire at a complex of residential flats.

The fire started in a generator outside the Renaissance Retirement’s Fleur-de-Lis building in Romsey.

It comes just days after work was carried out on the generator after the company was issued with a noise abatement notice following complaints from local residents.


Around 20 firefighters managed to stop the fire spreading to the most of the building, said Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

However, part of the balconies and fascias of three flats were damaged.

No residents were injured, but residents were found alternative accommodation following the firelast night.

An investigation into the fire's cause is ongoing, said the fire service.

Neighbours have told of the moment they rushed to help elderly residents stranded in a burning housing complex.

Nicky Tilbury, 53, lives in nearby Malmesbury Road where her daughter ran to help. Nicky said: "We heard the sound of glass shattering and I looked out and saw the flames and I shouted 'there's a fire'. 

"My daughter ran through a hole in our hedge to the homes to alert people. 

"She led a couple on the first floor to safety and another two people. 

"None of them were aware of the fire because the smoke alarms hadn't gone off. 

"The people were shaken so my husband came down with chairs and blankets. 

"Luckily everybody was out but it could have cost them their lives.

"Those generators were an accident waiting to happen."

A 54-year-old woman from Jubilee Road who did not want to give her name had run in with her 52-year-old husband. 

She said: "Fire was coming from the generator chimney and the next moment it had quadrupled in size. 

"Inside one of the lads working there was coming towards me with a lady in a wheelchair who was really frightened and she was saying she was going to have a heart attack. 

"There was an elderly couple with a man in a wheelchair and they were frightened. 

"There was a man working there running around half dressed trying to help. 

"Other neighbours helped by giving people blankets and cups of tea."

Neighbour Christopher Rosman, 71, said: "It was chaos  - the flames were going right up. 

"The glass exploded and the balconies collapsed. It could have killed someone."

The company said the fire was spotted by one of the staff a carpark at the Jubilee Road side of the complex.

They  immediately raised the alarm and started to evacuate owners from the building.

A company spokesman said no one was hurt in the incident and Renaissance Retirement put up all 20 residents in a hotel overnight.

Daily Echo:

PICTURED: The scene of the fire this morning.

Robert Taylor, managing director of Renaissance Retirement, said: “The main consideration is the health and safety of our owners and local residents.

"Our owners are all now comfortable in a nearby hotel for the night.

“I’d like to thank the emergency services who were there in minutes and did a first class job tonight; as well as my colleagues at Renaissance who were able to give our owners the support they needed.

"I’d also like to thank our owners who also remained in good spirits.”

The blaze comes just days after the company was serviced with a noise abatement notice following complaints over the noise of the generators.

A statement from the firm said that following a failure to deliver mains electricity to the development of 52 sheltered apartments, the company had to rely on emergency power for their residents in the form of two temporary generators. 

The statement said: "Regrettably the generators, which are required to provide power to the building 24 hours a day, have caused noise and disturbance to nearby residents. 

"Upon receipt of the Notice, Renaissance Retirement immediately took positive steps to address complaints."

The firm said that to combat the noise they have had to insulate the generators. 

Renaissance Retirement’s Planning Director, Peter Tanner, said: “It is most regrettable that a failure to provide mains electricity to our building on the scheduled date has required us to resort to emergency power and that this has resulted in noise and disturbance to our neighbours.

"We very much sympathise with them that on top of the normal disruption associated with a major development scheme such as this that they have been faced with this unforeseen additional nuisance. 

“It will come as little comfort to them, but we would like to put on record, that we have acted immediately this noise nuisance was drawn to our attention.”