Portswood Warehouse TOXIC BLAZE

UPDATE 1735: Portswood road to remain closed for at least two more hours. It is not yet clear whether residents can return to or leave their homes

UPDATE 17:00: Portswood Road is closed between Lodge Road (Tesco) and Brookvale Road (Blockbuster) Police have created a ‘refuge’ for local residents who can’t get home. We will update as and when we get more information. Call 101 for more information

Another large fire has broken out in Southampton, this time in the student heartland itself.

A storage warehouse behind Clean Getaway carwash is currently alight. Firefighters are on the scene to tackle the blaze, and Portswood Road is currently closed to both pedestrians and road traffic between Gordon Avenue and Alma Road.

When questioned the police informed the Tab that due to the contents of the warehouse being unknown, but with a high likelihood of gas cylinders being kept in storage, they are exacting an exclusion zone as the smoke is likely to be toxic.

Just walking past the fire down Portswood Road left one student stinking of smoke, who commented

I could smell it on campus and it just got stronger and stronger down towards Portswood – similar to last week’s blaze but much closer to home!

Buses are being diverted up the Avenue to keep them away from the area. Police are conducting door-to-door visits to reassure local residents.

Local events company Squeeze 18 are “lying low” on the scene, and have provided photos on their twitter feed.

As with the scrapyard fire last week, locals are advised to stay inside out of the smoke. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we learn more.

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