TWO dogs perished when a row of Hampshire houses were engulfed in a Bonfire Night blaze.

The huge fire started in a terraced property in Gurneys Mead, West Wellow, at about 3.20pm yesterday and quickly spread to neighbouring homes.

No one was injured but two Staffordshire bull terriers who lived in the house where the fire began died.

They belonged to a woman, named locally as Alison Dart, who lived alone and was not at home when it started. One neighbour said the dogs “meant the world to her”.

Six fire engines and more than 35 firefighters from Romsey, Eastleigh, Totton, Redbridge and Lyndhurst fire stations as well as St Mary’s special equipment unit, Redbridge’s aerial ladder and a multi role vehicle from Eastleigh were sent to the fire.

In total 32 breathing apparatus were used by firefighters.

Around 20 residents from the cul-de-sac were initially evacuated amid fears of a gas explosion as smoke billowed around the village near Romsey.

Some residents were taken to a nearby community centre.

Firefighters were still tackling the blaze late last night. It had spread to four houses via the roof and all were badly damaged.

Firefighters had left the scene by 8.30am this morning.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Fencing contractor Mark Pritchard, 50, who lives in one of the terraced houses near the fire, said: “I came back from work and everybody had been evacuated. There was smoke everywhere. You could see it for miles.”

He described Alison as a “valued member of the community”. “It is a tragedy for her,” he said.

Neighbour Vera Dando, 81, was returning to her home after a drive when she saw the fire take hold in the downstairs.

She said: “All the flames were coming out of the house, we had to pull in to let all the fire engines past. Flames were coming out of the door and window.”

Gurnays Mead was cordoned off and a refuge was set up at the village hall, although most people went to friends and family. Some were later allowed to return to their homes.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident commander Tom Carr said: “This was a fire which started in a mid terraced property. The property had a lot of material inside.

“Due to the intensity of the fire the stairwell collapsed as well as parts of the first floor. The result was that we were having to tackle the fire from the outside due to difficulty accessing the property.”