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Shoppers evacuated in fireball drama - VIDEO

11:43am Wednesday 27th February 2013

Shoppers evacuated in fireball drama - VIDEO

DOZENS of Eastleigh town centre shops are without power after a blaze at a power substation.

Witnesses described seeing a fireball then billowing smoke could be seen coming from the doors leading to the electrical hub between the Leo Leisure Bingo hall and Sainsbury's, on Leigh Road.

Staff and customers at the supermarket had to be evacuated as smoke started filling the store from the ceiling.

The incident at 10am attracted a crowd of concerned onlookers.

 

 

Two fire crews had taped off the area and have been on the scene, using ventilators to clear the smoke.

Crew Manager Justin Lee, said everyone was out when they arrived and did not believe anyone had been injured.

He said that workers from Scottish and Southern Energy were on site at the time and quickly left the building, reporting a fireball - he said as far as he knew it had been caused by a false circuit.

Parts of Market Street and Leigh Road remain without power in the town centre, including the UKIP by-election campaign headquarter.

More than than dozen stores have also been forced to close.

Simon Phillips, area manager for Leo Leisure, said the smell of smoke had reached the stairs, but the main hall remained unaffected but the main problem was a lack of power.

He said not opening today could cost the business in the region of £4,000.
Witnesses have told of their surprise at what happened.

Pete Charles, 52, of Eastleigh, said: “All we heard was a bang and the door blew open from the force of the blast, then a bloke came out afterwards, then I saw a big fireball.

“I thought someone might have got killed or injured.”

David Skinner, a baker in Sainbury's, said: “It sounded like somebody was drilling in the wall, the lights were flickering.
“The lights went out and smoke started coming in.”

Comments(27)

Comments(27)

jade25 says...
11:58am Wed 27 Feb 13

It's a shame it didnt burn the whole of Eastleigh town center down!! ha.

bernard7 says...
12:07pm Wed 27 Feb 13

So how much damage was it? £10 tops?

knittingnanna says...
12:47pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Eastleigh's not that bad x

chrisja says...
12:53pm Wed 27 Feb 13

What a pathetic story...

ToastyTea says...
12:58pm Wed 27 Feb 13

oh noooo not the bingo hall, who plays bingo anyway jeeez.

G0Rf says...
1:06pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Eastleigh just cant keep its self out of the news

Big Mac says...
1:09pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Smoking and fa*ting – never a good combination

Mr E says...
1:12pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Election Fever in Eastleigh has reached Flashpoint then!

Ozmosis says...
1:41pm Wed 27 Feb 13

"attracted a crowd of concerned onlookers" - alternatively called a crow of nosey parkers

TwistedWitch says...
2:07pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Pity some of the electoral candidates and the pm were not standing in front of it at the time

S!monOn says...
2:07pm Wed 27 Feb 13

jade25 wrote:
It's a shame it didnt burn the whole of Eastleigh town center down!! ha.
But that would eliminate one of your fav shopping destinations.... you'd only have Shirley left.

jade25 says...
2:15pm Wed 27 Feb 13

S!monOn...

Yeah of course its my fave, Poundland and Peacocks is amazing....HA!

sotonwinch09 says...
2:19pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Eastleigh is a horrible disgusting place. I speak from experience as I live here!

S!monOn says...
2:35pm Wed 27 Feb 13

jade25 wrote:
S!monOn...

Yeah of course its my fave, Poundland and Peacocks is amazing....HA!
Hey, don't diss Poundland.... and Peacocks, well, what can i say? ;-)

rich the stitch says...
3:17pm Wed 27 Feb 13

"He said not opening today could cost the business in the region of £4,000"
Really! A cr@ppy bingo hall in Eastleigh would turnover £4k on a Wednesday.

car59 says...
3:45pm Wed 27 Feb 13

The bingo hall is really nice and the people that own it. Just glad noone was hurt

Outside of the Box says...
3:53pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Probably someone setting fire to all the dumped political flyers that have been distributed lately.

No wonder the Green party aren't standing for election, they probably saved a tree or two or three or four

kingnotail says...
5:43pm Wed 27 Feb 13

What a sh1thole!

befriendly says...
7:21pm Wed 27 Feb 13

As a recent new comer to the area I have to thank all posters for their views on where not to go.

Huffter says...
7:39pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Nice to know people are so concerned about local businesses.

vespaboy says...
8:53pm Wed 27 Feb 13

- I wasin Eastleigh and experienced the Sainsburys "fireball" incident first hand at - this could easily have beed a fatality. THe SSE contractor was so very lucky. I was about 6 feet away - flames came out of the electrical plant room, a guy in a high vis jackets came running out, then there was a fireball and explosion - if that guy had been in the room just 2 seconds longer, he would be toast. If I had been a few feet closer I would be have been roasted too. Reported to HSE.

vespaboy says...
8:56pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Some pretty assinine comments on here-this could have been a fatal incident.

J.P.M says...
9:05pm Wed 27 Feb 13

vespaboy wrote:
Some pretty assinine comments on here-this could have been a fatal incident.
Isn't that what liddels put in their sausages??

angermanagement says...
9:24pm Wed 27 Feb 13

it certainly was not nice having to go back into sainsburys to work after that ...the stench of acrid smoke in the back of your throat wasn't either...

elvisimo says...
10:05pm Wed 27 Feb 13

J.P.M wrote:
vespaboy wrote:
Some pretty assinine comments on here-this could have been a fatal incident.
Isn't that what liddels put in their sausages??
Yes, along with the odd dictionary

chunky_lover says...
10:52pm Wed 27 Feb 13

why were these people not at work?

samantha89 says...
1:12pm Fri 1 Mar 13

ToastyTea wrote:
oh noooo not the bingo hall, who plays bingo anyway jeeez.
Clearly some people hence the bingo hall still bein opened. May not be ur cuppa t but some of us where concered as we have jobs there

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