Fire at Alcohol distillery #fire #fireservice #firesafety
An Alcohol distillery in the West Midlands exploded in a ball of flames on Monday November 26th causing fire and thick black smoke to billow up into the air.
The incident occurred on the site of Alcohols Ltd on Hall Street in Oldbury shortly before 10am and firefighters from the West Midlands Fire Service attended the scene where they discovered a blaze in a three storey gin distillery.
People were evacuated from homes and business premises and surrounding roads were closed and rail services in the area were also halted.
Fortunately there was only one reported injury involving a man believed to have sustained flash burns. He was taken to hospital by ambulance.
It took all night to extinguish the flames and an update was given at 10am on Tuesday November 27th to say that the incident had been dealt with.
Around 20 firefighters and two fire engines remained on the scene to keep watch and a reduced cordon remained in place, affecting around 20 properties.
A structural engineer is due to assess the damage to the distillery to decide whether or not it needs to be demolished for safety reasons.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the blaze, although it is believed to have started when chemicals were being transferred from large tanks into smaller drums outside of the building.
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Ten people rescued from burning East Kilbride flats #scotland #fire
Ten people had to be rescued from a block of flats in Scotland over the weekend after a fire was started deliberately in the premises.
Fire crews were called to the four-storey building in South Lanarkshire at around 3.30am yesterday (4th November) by residents who were left trapped on the upper floors of the block.
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue sent a total of three appliances to the incident in Glen Moy, in the St Leonards area of East Kilbride, as the flames began to engulf the second floor of the building.
Firefighters wore breathing apparatus as they entered the building to look for the tenants before leading them to safety. No-one was injured in the incident but two of the residents were treated for smoke inhalation.
Strathclyde Police has launched a joint investigation with the fire service into cause of the blaze and has revealed that the incident is now being treated as "wilful fireraising".
Detective Inspector John Shaw of East Kilbride CID, who is leading the investigation, appealed for witnesses to come forward with any information which could assist with the case.
He said: "This was a terrifying experience for the occupants of the flats, and made even worse by the fact that early investigations have told us that the fire was started deliberately by an unknown person or persons.
“Thankfully, no one was injured in this incident; however, if it was not for the swift action of the occupants and the emergency services then we may have been dealing with serious injuries or even fatalities."
Group commander Stephen Scott, from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service, also praised firefighters for their rapid response to the incident.
Mr Scott claimed that the "decisive actions" taken by fire crews when they arrived at the scene meant that the danger was "quickly averted, and those trapped inside could be led to safety unharmed".
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact East Kilbride CID on 01355 564 000. Alternatively, people can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to give information confidentially.
For more information on how to protect your home from fire, visit our website.
National Hotel Chain Guilty ot Fire Safety Offences #firesafety #hotelfiresafetycharges
After being found guilty of breaching fire safety laws at its Gatwick Airport Central hotel, Travelodge hotel chain has been fined £13,000 and ordered to pay 6,500 costs.
Crews were called to a blaze at the premises in September 2011 whilst it was being refurbished and when fire safety officers attended, they served a prohibition notice after concerns were raised by the inadequacy of the fire safety measures.
The company was found guilty of seven offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at Haywards Heath magistrates court on Friday 14 September.
The seven breaches were:
- An inadequate fire alarm system
- Failure to review their fire risk assessment
- Inadequate fire safety training for staff
- No planning, organisation, control and monitoring of fire prevention and protection measures
- Failure to properly maintain fire safety equipment
- Obstruction of escape routes
- Blocked fire exits
Protection group manager for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Andy Tonks, said:
"Fortunately, due to the professionalism of our crews at the time of the incident, the fire was brought under control quickly and nobody was hurt. However, under different circumstances, the consequences could have been life-threatening.
"Protecting the public will always be our top priority and while we would much rather offer advice to the businesses to help them comply with fire safety law, where serious breaches are putting people's lives at risk we will certainly seek to prosecute."
Responding to the conviction, a Travelodge spokesperson told info4fire:
“At the time of the incident in September 2011, Travelodge Gatwick Airport Central was undergoing a major refurbishment project by a third party property contractor. Due to the unique set of circumstances a business decision was taken to close the hotel in order to accelerate the £10million overhaul programme that was currently taking place.
“During this time we worked very closely with West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service and only once they were satisfied we had complied with all the fire safety regulations did Gatwick Central Airport Travelodge re-open for business in January 2012.
“The safety of our customer and our staff remains our number one priority throughout our 500 hotels.”
Fire destroys Lancashire Garage #lancashirefire #garagefire
A fire which broke out on Wednesday 19th September has destroyed a car repair business in Lancashire.
Fire crews attended the fire on Parkfield Garage on Bowerham Road at around 4pm where they worked to extinguish the flames. The fire was so string that it spread to two neighbouring properties - a charity shop and a convenience store whilst a number of local residents were evacuated from their homes because of smoke and concerns over gas cylinders stored in the garage.
The fire was bought under control by around 9.30pm and an investigation has now been launched to determine the cause of the incident.
A fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
If the assessment is deemed not to be 'suitable and sufficient' the Responsible Person can face up to two years in prison or an unlimited fine.
Fire in Care Home Leaves Seven People Homeless. #essexfire #fireincarehome
Seven people were left homeless after a blaze in a care home in Essex on Thursday 23rd August.
Fire fighters were called the blaze at The Firs on Thorpe Road in Frinton-on-Sea at around 5.50pm.
A drink was spilt onto a TV set which then caught fire. The building was evacuated with three individuals being rescued from the first floor of the building. They were later taken to hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation.
A 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales, including care homes, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
If the fire risk assessment is deemed to be carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.
Biggest fire in London for ‘several years’ #london2012 #olympics #fire
Fire in London
A fire described as the biggest in London for ‘several years’ sent smoke across East London yesterday and briefly threatened to overshadow the Olympic Closing Ceremony.
The fire at a recycling centre in Dagenham was reported at 1315 on Sunday afternoon and at its height there were over 200 firefighters and 40 appliances at the scene.
A plume of smoke could be seen across London, but the wind carried it away from the Olympic Park, settling initial fears that it could affect the London 2012 Closing Ceremony in Stratford.
The fire engulfed the whole recycling centre: a single storey building around the size of a football pitch.
London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said:
“We’ve not seen a fire of this size in London for several years and it was certainly a dramatic end to the Olympics for the London Fire Brigade. That said though, we were still able to attend incidents across the capital and the fire cover we provided at the Olympic venues was not affected.
“Fire crews will remain at the scene for as long as necessary and a thorough investigation will begin soon to establish how it started.”
London Fire Brigade officers have spent much of the past fortnight on the Olympic Park providing fire cover for the Olympic Games in specially designed rapid response Minis.
Training at Salford City Stadium for GMFRS #greatermanchesterfireandrescueservice #gmfrs #salfordcitystadium
Firefighters from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service took part in a huge real-world scenario training exercise to simulate dealing with a smoke logged stand at the 12,000-seater Salford City Stadium taking the opportunity to practice their search and rescue skills.
Greater Manchester Firefighters
Crew manager Gabriel Campbell said: "As firefighters, we train every single day for how to deal with fires and other emergencies, but this was the first time GMFRS has used Salford City Stadium in this way.
"We used the East Stand to simulate a smoke logged stand and our crews ran a sector to search the south half of the ground floor of the stand.
"Because it was a large wide open space it gave us a great opportunity to test our breathing apparatus (BA) procedures and it was fantastic to use the ground to train for a genuine emergency at a sporting stadium.”
As part of the exercise, organisers introduced a scenario where there was problem getting oxygen to one of the BA teams so that an emergency team of firefighters had to rescue them.
Station Manager Paul Smitham added: "The exercise was great and really showed the commitment of the crews to train in a real environment for a genuine emergency.
"Eighteen firefighters from Salford and Trafford Borough took part and it was great to develop a relationship with the stadium so that we can hopefully build on that and train with them again."
Watch Manager Jon Stewart added: "As always, we aim to be prepared for all eventualities and this drill had the potential for many missing persons so it was a great opportunity to train and also gave us excellent knowledge for us crews in the event of a real emergency."
Next month the GMFRS are due to play a charity match against the New York Fire Department (NYFD) which will raise money for the Fire Fighters Charity and the 9/11 Benevolent Fund on Sunday, August 19.
Hotel manager receives community order for 10 fire safety breaches #firesafetybreaches #manchesterfiresafety #hotelmanagerfiresafety
A hotel manager put the lives of his guests in danger after breaching fire safety laws and has been given a community order.
Sultan Chaudhry, 55, appeared at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday 11 July and was convicted of ten offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in relation to the White Lodge Hotel, in Great Cheetham Street West, Salford. After pleading guilty to the charges at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 4 April he was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and costs of almost £3,000.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service crews were called to the hotel after a fire occurred in the lobby around 4am on 13 April, 2011 and were told by Chaudhry that there was no-one in the property. However, following a detailed search, fire crews rescued a guest from the first-floor.
In sentencing Chaudhry, Recorder Patrick Field told him: “This is deeply shaming for you. These are serious matters amounting to a significant and serious disregard for the safety of others. Your financial circumstances are not such as to allow me to impose an appropriate fine.”
After attending the fire, fire safety officers later discovered a lack of fire safety measures in place including: faulty fire alarms, empty fire extinguishers, inadequate escape routes and poorly lit escape routes.
There was no suitable fire risk assessment in place and staff working at the hotel had not received adequate training.
For more information on ensuring your fire risk assessment is up to date, book your Fire Safety health check and Fire Risk Assessment today by contacting our team at Alert Fire and Security.
Bolton pub saved from fire thanks to a fast-acting landlord #fireinboltonpub #landlordsavespub #deepfatfryerfire #boltonpubfire
Fire crews were called to the Red Lion Pub in Over Hulton at 6.55am on Sunday morning (24th June), to deal with an incident after a deep fat fryer which was left switched on all night caught alight.
Upon discovering the incident, a fast thinking landlord reached for a light water extinguisher and brought the fire under control and is now being treated in hospital for injuries suffered as he tackled the fire at his pub in Bolton.
Russ Condon, watch manager at Atherton Fire Station, commented on his actions: "He has done a really good job, he saved the kitchen and he probably saved the pub too."
The landlord is now being treated at the Royal Bolton Hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation and a burn to his hand.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales.
If the fire risk assessment is deemed to be carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.
Spate of fires hit derelict Aberdeen factory #factoryfire #firesinberdeens #firesafety
Fire crews have been tackling a spate of fires at a disused factory in Aberdeen, it has been reported.
Firefighters were called to the derelict Broadford Works facility in the city yesterday lunchtime .
The fire brigade believe fires were being started deliberately after fire safety officers had to tackle three blazes.
After dealing with those fires, they were then alerted to another blaze in a lift shaft at about 3.30pm
It follows a fire at the former Richards textile mill site, which is home to more than 100 buildings, earlier this week.
A 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in Scotland under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.
If this fire risk assessment is judged to have not been carried out to a suitable extent, the Duty Holder for the establishment can face up to two years in prison or an unlimited fine.