THREE fire crews attended a "severe" house fire in Bournemouth on Tuesday afternoon that saw residents evacuated and three dogs rescued. 

The fire broke out in a ground floor living room at the property in Chigwell Road, Charminster.

Fire crews from Christchurch were called to tackle the blaze at 3.58pm. They were soon joined by Redhill Park and Springbourne services.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service told the Daily Echo that there were no injuries reported, however that damage was "serious". 

They said: "The fire caused serious damage to the house and highlights the importance of closing doors to prevent fire spread and smoke damage.

"The fire was extinguished with two hosereel jets and one covering jet. Springbourne crews left at 5.35pm, Redhill at 5.43pm and Christchurch at 7.07pm. 

"There was amazing support provided to the occupiers by British Red Cross Emergency Response. Thanks for everything you did to help."

An investigator attended the scene and completed an assessment on the fire.

A Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Due to the amount of damage in the living room, an exact cause cannot be determined, although we are satisfied that it started accidentally.

“The property had working smoke alarms, and damage to the rest of the house was limited by the door being closed to the living room.”

A resident, who lives opposite the property, told the Daily Echo that he almost missed the fire entirely.

He said: “I was actually asleep in front of the telly, completely oblivious to everything. I woke up to a call from a neighbour who told me that I was missing all the action.

“I then saw all the lights and realised what was going on. It was all very dramatic.

“The crews were great, they had three pumps on the fire for a while as smoke was rising from the back of the house.

“On the outside it looks like nothing happened, but the worst of the damage happened at the back of the house. The windows are totally blown out from what I’ve heard.”

John also said that the occupier of the house had been taken to stay elsewhere, as the fire had left the property “uninhabitable”.