NEW PICTURE: Family home razed to the ground - the Woodgreen villagers speak of their shock

Villagers from the close-knit community of Woodgreen, near Fordingbridge, watched in horror on Tuesday evening as flames ripped through the large, detached property in Brook Lane, near the common.

Almost 100 firemen from Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire battled the blaze well into the night and spent hours protecting the nearby thatched homes from the sparks and embers that were carried by the wind. One Woodgreen woman said: “It is an awful thing to happen. I don’t know where the family have gone but I know they had friends nearby. The people in the village feel for them.”

It is believed that much loved family have lived in the village for almost 20 years.

Stewart Hall, chairman of Woodgreen Parish Council, said the villagers were “truly sad” for the family.

“They are lovely people,” he said.

“They were out at the time the fire began, but returned when it was raging.

It is very sad. We are all very, very upset about it - it is difficult to imagine the sense of loss they must feel.

“The man is a businessman in Salisbury, and the family have lived in the village for a long time. We have a very close-knit community and I know they were offered a place to stay last night in the village.”

A bystander told the Journal that the fire had been ferocious.

He said: “The house looks as though it has been burned to the ground.

“The wind is very strong and the fire men have been busy damping down to stop the embers from catching the other homes from catching fire."

A spokesman from Hampshire Fire and Rescue said the investigation as to how the fire started has begun, however it is not believed that the cause is suspicious.

A spokesman said: “Eight crews were mobilised to a severe house fire in Woodgreen.

“The occupants were not home at the time but the neighbours were alerted to the fire by the smoke alarm and they called 999.

“On arrival crews were faced with a large detached property with the first floor and roof well alight. Hampshire crews with the support of crews from Wiltshire and Dorset Fire and Rescue Services worked together to contain the fire and stop it from spreading to other properties.

Firefighters used compressed air foam systems to protect nearby properties.”

“There were lots of firemen on the scene and they were trying desperately to protect the thatched cottages that are close by.”

Neighbours spotted the flames and alerted the emergency services at about 6.30pm.

The family were not at home at the time.

Fire crews from the three counties in eight fire engines used two bowsers which pumped water from the nearby river and compressed air foam systems, spending several hours damping down nearby properties to prevent the fire spreading.

On arrival fire crews were faced with a large detached property with the first floor and roof well alight.