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Person taken to hospital after fire destroys home

BBC Two fire officers at the scene in Imber Walk in Swindon. It is a residential area with a number of red brick terraced properties. There is significant damage to the facade of the house, with black smoke damage going up the wall. A third firefighter is using a ladder to access the roof.BBC
About 45 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze

A person has been taken to hospital after a blaze destroyed a home, a fire service has said.

About 45 firefighters were called to the terraced house in Imber Walk, in Penhill, Swindon, at 09:15 GMT on Monday.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said the person, who has been taken to Bristol's Southmead Hospital, had already left the house before they arrived.

The fire service group manager at the scene, Wayne Jones, said: "The whole property has been devastated by the fire that took hold."

Breathing apparatus used for firefighting lies on the ground outside the property, which can be seen in the background on the left behind a tall wooden fence. Much of the red brickwork that can be seen is blackened. There are a number of fire officers outside the house in yellow jackets and helmets.
Breathing apparatus lies on the ground outside the property

He added: "The way in which the property is constructed means that we didn't have immediate access to the front and the rear so we've had to have an attendance on both sides."

Crews were originally told a person needed to be rescued from the fire, which is why a large response team was sent.

"The occupier that had gone back into the property did actually come back out on their own accord so our services weren't required to rescue that person," he added.

Wayne Jones, stood outside the burnt out house on Imber Walk. He is wearing a fire officer uniform.
Wayne Jones said they were still investigating the cause of the fire

He added that the adjoining properties had been checked for damage but were not harmed.

Residents have been warned to expect "minor disruption" throughout the afternoon as the electricity and gas board work to secure the area.

The fire service said about 60 homes had temporarily lost power.

The cause of the fire is being investigated, but it is believed to be accidental.

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