Crews battle chemical fire at Burscough plant
It took over 10 fire crews to take on a huge fire at a Burscough chemical plant last Tuesday with two people having to be airlifted to hospital.
When the blaze broke out at about 10am smoke could be seen from almost four miles away from the site at PHS Waste Management, in Tollgate Road.
The chemical incident was dealt with using Operation Merlin, a collaboration between police and the fire service in Lancashire for these kinds of instances.
A number of roads throughout the area had to be closed due to the fire as firefighters fought to extinguish the flames which had spread to the roof of the chemical waste management plant.
There were also reports of explosions at the plant due to the nature of the chemicals involved, so businesses in the area had to be evacuated.
A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue, said:
“The smoke has been analysed and it is of a low toxicity in terms of chemicals.
“The initial reports of explosions would have been aerosol cans exploding.”
Three people were injured in total after suffering burns from the fire and had to be taken to the Royal Preston Hospital for treatment.
It took several hours for fire crews to get the blaze under control and make the area safe.
Arson attack on school shocks Bilston community
It was not just teachers, pupils and parents who were left in disbelief following an arson attack which destroyed a Black Country primary school in Bilston, as the whole community looked on at the charred remains where the school once stood.
Wilkinson Primary School was brought to the ground by the fire last Tuesday and the community is only now coming to terms with what had happened.
The watch commander from Walsall Fire Station, Nigel Walker, said:
“A total of 90 per cent of the building has been completely destroyed by fire.
“There is just partial walls and steelwork left standing. The roof and everything else has all come down.”
The council are hoping to find a temporary solution for after half-term, until the school can be rebuilt.
The site and buildings strategy manager for Wolverhampton City Council, Marc Webb, said:
“We’re moving as swiftly as we can now to arrange some kind of temporary accommodation for the pupils and staff after half-term, while at the same time getting the site ready to rebuild the school.
“In the longer term, the school will have to be rebuilt. It’s difficult to say at this stage how long that will be, but we are looking at least 12 months.”
Cricket clubhouse destroyed in blaze
It has been reported that a fire which broke out in a cricket club in the town of Hampton Hill in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames had totally ruined the pavilion building to the extent that it had to be demolished.
The fire began in the early hours of Saturday the 9th of October and it took around 20 firefighters to tackle the flames at the site of Hampton Hill Cricket Club (HHCC) in Bushy Park.
Much of the pavilion was destroyed by the blaze and what was left had to be torn down in accordance with safety revealed a Royal Parks spokeswoman said.
There were no injuries reported following the fire however a number of trophies and irreplaceable photos kept in the building were destroyed.
A message published on the HHCC website said:
“It is with great sadness that we have to report that there has been a major fire at the Hampton Hill CC clubhouse.
“Nobody was hurt, but the building has been totally destroyed.
“There are many priceless things which have been lost as a result of this incident, including photos, scorebooks and trophies.
“However, we will of course endeavour to rebuild the clubhouse in a manner which preserves as much of the tradition and heritage of our 155-year-old club.”
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