THIRTY people were evacuated from their Pamber Heath homes over fears of an explosion after a gas canister caught fire.

But one couple who run a neighbouring cattery decided to brave it out and stay with the animals.

Fire crews from Mortimer were called to Silchester Road just before 5pm on Friday, where an acetylene cylinder had become engulfed in flames as a resident was welding in his front garden.

Sections of five roads were closed to protect the public and people living in surrounding homes went to stay with relatives or friends, or went to Tadley Community Centre.

Richard and Jennifer Cotton, who run Catkins Cattery next door to the house where the blaze happened, decided not to leave their home.

Mr Cotton, 58, said: "They were advising us to leave, but it was impossible because we have got a lot of people's cats here. There are about 80 in the cattery at the moment.

"We weren't really worried about the cylinder. I have been in the building trade for a long time and you see millions of these things. It can be dangerous, but I wasn't that perturbed."

Ken Wooldridge was returning from visiting his mother-in-law further up Silchester Road when the evacuation began and was unable to get back to his home on the other side of the fire.

"My wife was at home so I telephoned her," he said. "She had been vacuuming and was oblivious to what was going on so I told her to get out and join me."

Rachel Beales was on her way back from Spain, where she and her husband had been celebrating their anniversary, when the incident took place, but her children were at home in Silchester Road with her mother.

"I called my mum from the airport to say we were getting on the plane and she told me what had happened," said Mrs Beales.

She said her sons Jordan, 11, and Connor, eight, were taken to Mrs Beales' sister-in-law's house in Romans Gate, while she spent the flight home worrying.

"When my mum told me, I panicked," she said. "The boys were fine, though.

"All Jordan was worried about was getting his hair gel for the birthday party he was going to!"

Tadley councillor David Leeks, who helped with the evacuation procedure, said: "People started coming into the community centre at around 7.30pm, and waited for someone to pick them up. They were all housed for the night with either family or friends."

Sergeant Shaun Stinson, of Tadley police, told The Gazette: "I have seen cylinders like this go up before, and it's like a bomb going off, with all the shrapnel.

"The fire brigade wanted to cool the cylinder carefully over a 24-hour period before making an assessment as to whether it was safe."

Sgt Stinson said residents were able to return to their homes at around 5.30pm on Saturday. No-one was hurt in the incident.