Upper Basildon fire leaves man in serious condition and causes water supply issues
A man was rushed to hospital in a serious condition after a gas explosion led to a significant house fire.
The detached property in Aldworth Road, Upper Basildon, caught fire on the evening of Saturday, July 9, and it was almost completely destroyed in the resulting inferno.
Residents in the area also suffered from a lack of water supply the following day, something which is believed to be linked to the incident.
A spokesperson for the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “At 10.18pm on Saturday, 9 July, we received reports of a fire on Aldworth Road in Upper Basildon.
“Upon arrival, crews found that a two storey property had been involved in a gas explosion.
“Equipped with breathing apparatus, firefighters used three jets to extinguish the resulting fire and prevent the fire from spreading.”
In total 21 fire engines attended the scene with four officers, an incident command unit and an aerial ladder platform.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Newbury, Caversham Road, Mortimer, Wokingham Road, Hungerford, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Whitley Wood and Theale Fire Stations responding to the incident alongside crews from Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service as well.
The spokesperson added: “Crews remained on the scene for around 14 hours and 20 minutes with a further investigation into the cause of the fire scheduled to be undertaken.”
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said that the fire was not believed to be suspicious, and that a man has been taken to hospital and was in a serious condition.
One local resident contacted newburytoday, on the afternoon of Sunday, July 10, to say that the area had been without a water supply since 6am, and that Thames Water had provided updates stating they were trying to fix the issue.
She added: “Nine hours later and no progress has been made and no bottled water has been distributed.
“I live on a road with several elderly residents, who cannot just jump in a car and go to a supermarket.
“To my knowledge, no provision has been made, in spite of the met Office documenting this as a heat wave.”
She said that her water supply had come back again on Monday morning.
In the Facebook group Upper & Lower Basildon, one group member reported that Thames Water had informed them that the supply issues were caused by a pressure leak, which was likely caused by the fire brigade while they attempted to stop the Aldworth Road blaze.
A spokesperson stated that Thames Water located and fixed a burst pipe on Ashampstead Road which was impacting supplies.
The spokesperson said: “Throughout Saturday we were experiencing high demand for water which affected supplies in the area.”
Thames Water opened a bottled water station at Streatley and Goring Golf course at around 4pm on Saturday for those who were still experiencing issues with their supply and bottled water was delivered to residents who were on their priority services register.
