Tarring house blaze could have started in airing cupboard

FIREFIGHTERS have said a severe house fire in Tarring which caused the first floor to collapse into the kitchen was probably smouldering for some time before raging out of control.
By The Newsroom
Published 16th Jan 2009, 14:10 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 00:55 BST

Last Tuesday (January 6) a woman returned to her St Thomas's Road home to see her house go up in smoke.

It took the equipment from 13 fire engines and 50 firefighters to bring the fire under control.

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Fire service spokesman Gary Towson said fire investigators first thought the fire had started in the kitchen following an electrical fault inside a dishwasher, which had been left on by the homeowners.

"Usually, fire travels upwards so it would be logical to firstly assume it started in the kitchen," he said.

"Later we were able to establish the fire actually started in a small confined space either inside the first floor airing cupboard or within the floor joists."

Mr Towson said once the fire had taken hold on the first floor, it caused the floor to completely collapse into the kitchen.

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