Fumes force families out of homes (From Western Telegraph)

Fumes force families out of homes

Two families were evacuated from their homes in the early hours of Monday after a strong smell of fumes.

The residents, of Church Close, Begelly, alerted police at around 12.30 am after the smell in and around their homes.

Firefighters, Pembrokeshire County Council environmental health and emergency planning personnel spent a number of hours at the scene, and an early decision was taken to evacuate the families. A family of seven, with five children aged from three to 16, and a family of five, with three children aged one to six, were accommodated overnight at the Manian Lodge Hotel, Begelly.

During the night, firefighters flushed through the drainage system on the recently-built development, using a high pressure hose. The smell, described as similar to that of a solvent, had abated by the morning, and the families were allowed back to their homes. However, a police and fire service presence was maintained at Church Close during the early part of the morning.

A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman said that tests had been carried out by firefighters which confirmed there was no likelihood of an explosion, and the authority was continuing further investigations.