A MAN was taken to hospital following a flat fire which closed a major road in Poole.

The fire service was called to Bournemouth Road at 10.52am this morning to a first-floor flat fire, in a building close to the corner with Vale Road.

Crews from three stations rushed to the scene, with Dorset Police putting road closures in place while fire fighters tackled the blaze.

Bournemouth Road was closed from the Pottery Junction roundabout, along with Archway Road.

Bournemouth Echo:

The Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service incident commander was crew manager Trevor Chamberlain from Westbourne fire station blue watch.

He said: “We were called to smoke issuing from a first floor flat. The fire was in a bedroom.

“One gentleman had smoke inhalation from trying to put the fire out, he’s been taken to hospital.

“The residents were alerted to the fire by the fire alarms, so we’ve got to stress our constant message of making sure you have a working fire alarm in your property.

“If you don’t, please contact our website, and there is a form where you can put in your information on and get fire alarms fitted by the fire service.”

Crew manager Chamberlain added that at this stage, the investigation into the fire is ongoing, but it is believed that the fire was accidental.

One neighbour, Moriah, said they were alerted to the fire after they heard ‘loads of sirens coming down the hill’, from the Pottery Junction roundabout.

“Mum was still sleeping but she said that she just heard low revving sounds coming from a car,” she said.

“Then when she opened the window, there were fire engines out here so we were wondering what was going on.

“Just loads of sirens, they just suddenly started up.”

Bournemouth Echo:

The fire service successfully extinguished the fire using breathing apparatus wearers and a hose reel jet.

The roads reopened shortly after 1.10pm.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “At 10.55am on Monday 11 March 2024, Dorset Police received a report of a fire at a property in Bournemouth Road in Poole. Officers are assisting the fire service with the road closure.”

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: “We were called at 11.02hrs on Monday 11 March to an incident in Poole. We sent a double-crewed land ambulance and conveyed one patient by land ambulance to Poole Hospital.”