Nine people were treated in hospital after a fire broke out on a residential boat along the banks of the River Thames.

Emergency services responded to the incident on the Wiltshire stretch of the river near the Gloucestershire town of Lechlade at about midday on Saturday, police said.

Pictures from the scene showed thick black smoke rising from a residential boat, while bystanders reportedly intervened to rescue people onboard.

Wiltshire police confirmed a child was airlifted to Bristol Royal hospital for children, and another individual was flown to the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford. Others were taken to hospital by ambulances.

The conditions of the nine people injured in the Lechlade boat fire have not been disclosed but it is understood at least two people have been discharged from hospital.

The emergency response reportedly included two air ambulances, six ambulances, three hazardous area response team units, and two rapid response vehicles.

Fire engines and police units from Gloucestershire constabulary, Thames Valley police, Wiltshire police and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) police were also called to attend the scene.

A Wiltshire police spokesperson said: “A section of the river was closed and inquiries into the cause of the fire are ongoing.”

Thames Valley air ambulance and Hampshire and Isle of Wight air Ambulance, Gloucestershire constabulary, Thames Valley police, and the MoD police have been contacted for comment.

• This article was amended on 2 June 2025 to add further details about the location of the fire, and to clarify that the nearby town of Lechlade is in Gloucestershire, not Wiltshire as an earlier version suggested.