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Faversham: Residents evacuated as gas pipe fire burns in Poplar View, Boughton-under-Blean

15:28, 18 May 2018

updated: 13:44, 21 May 2018

A householder has spoken after residents were evacuated when a ruptured gas pipe sparked a fire.

A 30-metre exclusion zone was put in place in Poplar View shortly after 2pm as firefighters dealt with the blaze in Boughton-under-Blean, near Faversham.

Chris Ennis, 50, said he hit a gas pipe while replacing some fencing and a fire broke out.

The hole left after the pipe was damaged
The hole left after the pipe was damaged

He thought the blaze raged for nearly three hours while workers dug a hole to turn the gas supply off at the mains.

Around 15 to 16 people are thought to have been evacuated.

Mr Ennis said he didn't expect to be dealing with an emergency
Mr Ennis said he didn't expect to be dealing with an emergency
Mr Ennis was repairing a fence when he hit a gas main
Mr Ennis was repairing a fence when he hit a gas main

Mr Ennis said: “It’s not what I was expecting to do today, I was expecting to put a fence up.

“It wasn’t what I was planning, that’s for sure.”

National Grid engineers and firefighters have been at the scene, but from 4pm the incident was reduced to one fire engine.

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