A man has fled a fire at his home in the New Forest after being alerted by his smoke alarm.

The roof and first floor were severely damaged by the fire, believed to have started in the bedroom of the home in Eastcot Close, Holbury.

Crews tackled the fire, which began at 0347 BST, using two jets, three hose reels and 14 breathing apparatus.

The man was taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

No-one else was hurt in the fire.

The ground floor of the semi-detached property was 25% damaged by smoke and water.

Tom Jones, station manager for the New Forest area, said: "When the smoke alarms went off... the occupants of other properties in the close were alerted to the incident and contacted the fire service.

"The sounding alarm also ensured that the neighbouring family had time to evacuate and get out of their property safely."

A fire investigation is under way to determine the cause of the blaze, which did not spread to neighbouring properties.

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