THREE fire engines were called to a blaze at Oxford University’s Keble College.

This morning (July 26) at 6.50am two crews from Oxford's Rewley Road fire station and one from Slade Park, extinguished the fire at Keble, in Parks Road, which started in an electrical plant room involving batteries used for backup power.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus put out the blaze using C02 extinguishers and hose reels, and used high-powered fans to ventilate the building.

READ MORE: Tenant hopes to reopen as soon as possible following pub fire in Wantage

Incident commander Jason Clifford said that swift action by firefighters stopped the fire from spreading into the roof of the building. The college was quickly evacuated thanks to the fire alarm system and help from staff.

He urged members of the public to check they have working smoke alarms and to visit www.365alive.co.uk for more fire safety information.

Keble was established in 1870, having been built as a monument to John Keble, who had been a leading member of the Oxford Movement which stressed the Catholic nature of the Church of England.

It is one of the larger colleges of the University of Oxford, with 433 undergraduates and 245 graduate students.

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Anna Colivicchi, she joined the team this year and covers health stories for the Oxfordshire papers. 

Get in touch with her by emailing: Anna.colivicchi@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @AnnaColivicchi