Ebbw Vale gym fire probe begins
An investigation is now underway following a suspicious blaze which tore through a former gym building in Blaenau Gwent last Sunday morning.
Firefighters from Ebbw Vale, Tredegar, Cwmbran, Blaina and Brynmawr were called to the fire at Lakeside Gym just after 5am where they battled for over three hours in order to get the blaze under control.
Only one appliance was needed by 9am to damp down the embers but the fire had already caused substantial damage to the building, which is located above Festival Park and has been unused for the past three years.
A spokesman for Gwent Police explained how there were doubts over whether the gym was structurally safe and Blaenau Gwent council were due to look at it before the investigation could get underway. He said:
“The area is not safe to check until it has cooled down. Only after a structural engineer has looked at it, can we get on there with fire investigators to determine if the fire was deliberate or accidental.”
A South Wales Fire and Rescue service spokeswoman has confirmed that this has now been done and so the probe is now being carried out into the cause of the blaze to see if the fire was the result of an arson attack.
Arrest made over fire extinguisher incident at tuition fees riot
It has been confirmed that an arrest has now been made regarding the throwing of a fire extinguisher from the top of a building amidst the Millbank riot in London last week, with a university student called in for questioning.
The suspect, a 23-year-old male student from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, has been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder when a fire extinguisher was thrown in the direction of two territorial support group officers.
The empty metal fire extinguisher was flung from the top of Millbank Tower and only just missed the police officers.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “This arrest follows an investigation into public disorder where a fire extinguisher was thrown from the roof of Millbank Tower.”
An Anglia Ruskin University spokesman confirmed:
“We understand that one of our students was arrested earlier today in connection with the incident at Millbank Tower. We are co-operating fully with the police in their inquiries.”
The fire extinguisher incident was one of a number of public disorder offences carried out by demonstrators on the day, with 54 people aged 18 to 26 arrested. The protests began over the proposed increase in tuition fees for students going to university.
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Evacuation of historic building after fire
It has been reported that three people who were inside a historic country house when it caught fire last Tuesday managed to exit the building without injury.
About 60 firefighters from Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire took on the blaze at Ladyland House in Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire shortly after 9:10pm on Tuesday the 9th of November.
The fire crews managed to stop the fire from spreading away from the bedrooms on the first and second floor of the historic A-listed building, located on Dipple Road, while a small section of the roof space was also damaged by the blaze.
A Strathclyde Fire and Rescue spokesman said:
“Firefighters currently remain at the scene using thermal imaging cameras in order to ensure all pockets of fire are fully extinguished.
“The cause of the fire is not yet known. A full investigation is being undertaken by Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Incident Research and Investigation Section.”
The damaged done to Ladyland House, which was built between 1816 and 1821, was still substantial despite the efforts of firefighters wearing breathing apparatus who had to use aerial pumps in an attempt to extinguish the fire.
There were no injuries reported following the fire at Ladyland House.
Residential home destroyed
A Kent residential home for disabled people has been destroyed in a huge fire.
Six fire engines and 45 firefighters battled for several hours to bring the blaze under control at the property in Barnham. No one was injured in the fire but the building was destroyed.
The fire is not being treated as suspicious.