Smoke pours into sky after blaze erupts from premises in residential Portsmouth street

Five fire engines from Southsea, Cosham and Havant attended the incident at Sunrise Linen Hire Service in New Road, Fratton, around 5.30am.

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Locals reported a “massive fire’ and hearing “screams” as firefighters battled flames – with the inferno described by a firefighter as “industrial”. It is not thought anyone was seriously hurt.

Paramedics were in attendance as the street was swamped with firefighters.

Firefighters are still currently on scene “dampening down” the area to the back of the linen shop where the fire is understood to have started.

An aerial platform ladder and other specialist equipment were used by fire crews.

The building has suffered extensive damage.

A police spokeswoman said: “We were called at 5.45am today by our colleagues at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service to make us aware of a fire at an address on New Road. We were not required to attend and the fire is not being treated as suspicious at this time.”