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FIREFIGHTERS BATTLED A BLAZE ON A BOAT ON THE BANK OF THE THAMES ELIZABETA RANXBURGAJ 16:14, 01 Jun 2025 Nine people, including a baby, have been rushed to hospital after a boat is thought
to have exploded on River Thames. Firefighters were pictured putting out a blaze in Lechlade, in Wiltshire, yesterday. The exact circumstances of the fire are not yet known, but it's
reported to have been started by an explosion. A child, thought to be an infant, was airlifted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children for urgent medical care, according to Wiltshire 999s.
Another one of the injured people airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford where they received treatment. The other seven injured people were taken to nearby hospitals by road. A
huge emergency response was triggered as two air ambulances and six ambulances were among the huge call out. Several fire engines rushed to the scene. Police from several units, including
Gloucestershire Constabulary, Thames Valley Police, Wiltshire Police and the MOD Police, were also at the scene of the 'explosion'. A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said that a
section of the river was closed after the incident to allow for enquiries into the cause of the shocking fire to take place. Article continues below The conditions of the nine people
hospitalised after the apparent explosion are currently not known. The fire happened on the Wiltshire side on that stretch of the River Thames, bordering Gloucestershire. Images from the
scene showed smoke billowing from a house boat on the banks of the river in the middle of the day. Onlookers on a stretch of grassland by the river were seen watching on in horror.