Fire crews battle blaze at Hampshire steam railway
Over 50 firefighters were needed to take on a huge fire at a tourist attraction in Hampshire on Monday night due to the possibility of explosions from gas cylinders.
The fire at Ropley station, which is the engineering centre, on the Watercress Line steam railway attraction led to the area being cordoned off amid fears the extreme heat would cause the cylinders to blow.
The fire, which gave off smoke that could be seen for miles around, was reported to have started at 1750 GMT within a new lottery-funded workshop containing a number of carriages and a diesel engine on the Station Hill site.
People were kept back as firefighters from Alresford, Alton, Basingstoke, Bishop’s Waltham, Droxford, Eastleigh, Petersfield and Winchester continued to fight the flames and monitor temperatures within the oxyacetylene cylinders until they were down to a safe level.
The 10 mile long Watercress Line is a popular attraction for tourists and a great example of British railway heritage. The steam trains on the Mid-Hants Railway run between stations at Alresford and Alton.
A spokesperson for the fire service has confirmed that there were no injuries following the blaze. However, the exact cause is still unknown and an investigation has now been launched.
Fire Risk Assessors courses – for the knowledge you need
If your staff do not have any fire safety experience then it is important to ensure that they are given suitable training in order to comply with fire safety regulations in the workplace. As well as this, all businesses are required to make ‘a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed’ and this is necessary to protect your business in the event of a fire.
This means that your business needs to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment and this can only be undertaken by a person who is trained in performing this procedure. As a business owner you need to consider sending a responsible member of staff on a Risk Assessment Foundation Course and Fire Risk Assessment Course.
Both courses last for 3.5 days and the first gives personnel grounding in the basics of fire safety. Should your employee pass the necessary exam at the end of the second course, then they will be deemed competent to carry out Fire Risk Assessments on your business premises. You can also rest assured that these courses have been approved by the Institute of Fire Engineers (IFE).
All Fire Risk Assessment courses are conducted by fire safety professionals who will ensure that everything is covered over the week of fire safety training and your staff will leave ready to carry out their duties effectively.
Fire in Colchester club forces home evacuations
It has been reported that local residents were forced to exit their homes late on Sunday night after a nearby social club went up in flames.
Over 40 firefighters were called to the scene at 2300 GMT on Sunday in order to tackle the fire, which was started at The Officers Club on St Johns Green in Colchester.
Nobody was within the club at the time of the blaze, although families living in the surrounding area were evacuated from their homes as a precaution, with risks over the fire spreading further.
The fire crews spent much of the night bringing the fire under control, and the next day damping down the scene and assessing the damage. However, it is expected that 75 percent of the building suffered collapse due to the fire.
A spokesperson for the fire service confirmed that they are now working with police to investigate the fire, which is being treated as suspicious and a possible arson attack.
Arson is becoming a growing issue with businesses in the UK, so it is important to implement fire safety procedures on your property, be it a social club or office premises. There are fire training courses available to ensure that your employees know what to do in the event of a fire.
Teenager charged over fire in Edinburgh school
It has been reported that a 14-year-old boy has now been charged in relation to a fire which was started at a derelict school in Edinburgh where a number of hose pipes had been slashed.
Around 50 firefighters and 10 fire appliances were required to tackle the blaze at Old Craigroyston High School, in Muirhouse which occurred last Wednesday night at about 8.30pm.
An investigation is underway into the incident, with the police looking to speak to more suspects in connection to the fire and the vandalism of hoses and the tyre slashing of a fire officer’s car.
Inspector Sandy Boyd of Lothian and Borders Police explained:
“The fire and the subsequent damage to the hoses are quite simply mindless acts of vandalism, which required significant resources from the fire service and the police.
“We are keen to speak to anyone who has any information that can help us track down those responsible, and I would urge people to get in touch with us if they saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area of old Craigroyston High School before the fire broke out.”
The derelict school building, which was awaiting demolition anyway, had to be pulled down following the fire.
Councillor Steve Cardownie said:
“I have asked for a probe into speeding up the demolition of these schools that are due to be demolished so that they don’t become a magnet for morons.
“We knew this was going to happen and unfortunately this has proved to be the case.”
Fire safety at local council offices
It has been reported in the news recently that a number of government buildings were found to have breached fire safety regulations. The BBC investigation showed that all organisations need to keep on top of their fire safety training and ensure they meet all current regulations.
The Face the Facts programme on Radio 4 revealed that these government departments had broken fire safety laws through such things as faulty fire alarms and fire risk assessments which did not meet the required standard.
The multiple failings serve as a warning to all government offices in ensuring that the appropriate fire safety procedures are in force on their premises. This is certainly true of local councils that have their own role to play regarding the issues surrounding fire safety.
As councils have to work with members of the public, their premises may have an ever changing number of people present on site at any one time. Add to that the range of council buildings throughout the many towns and cities of the UK, including tax offices, libraries and sports centres; there is a lot to address.
This is why the employment of staff that is given the right kind of fire training is essential for all councils. A Fire Safety in Councils course has been designed for this purpose to cover all the necessary areas pertaining to fire safety.