Gas Explosion in Stretford flat
A block of flats in Stretford were evacuated after a gas explosion at around 8.30am on Sunday 19th December. The blast caused damage to the communal area of the building but no one was injured.
The incident is being investigated by the police and National Grid to establish the cause of the explosion.
Two people in critical condition after child starts fire with cigarette lighter
Two people are in a critical condition in hospital after a house fire in Bentilee. One child also required hospital treatment and three others escaped unhurt.
The incident happened on the morning of Monday 20th December and is thought to have been started by a three year old child playing with a cigarette lighter.
Firefighters took over an hour to put out the fire which started in one of the bedrooms. Luckily the smoke alarms were triggered which enabled the children in the other bedroom to evacuate the building quickly.
Mick Daniels, Newcastle station manager said “This incident highlights the importance of smoke alarms – without them the other children would not have been aware of the fire until it had developed further and could have then ended up trapped.”
The local community are helping the family, who lost most of their possessions in the fire, by collecting clothes, food and even Christmas presents.
Fire Awareness Training – London
Pointed out some of the things I should and shouldn’t be doing at home that would keep my family safe – Joel Aranda
We got very important information – Alla Toots
Alot of training like this is excellent – Fernando Lauriaga
Very good – Samir Debbagh
Firefighters tackle fire in disused hotel
It has been reported that fire crews from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service were called to a major hotel fire in Torquay at the weekend.
The blaze ripped through the property, which is located on the seafront in Torquay, Devon, with firefighters having to battle in order to get the situation under control.
It took six of the county’s appliances to handle the fire at the Palm Court Hotel.
The fire service has said that it was thought than nobody was in the building at the time of the blaze, which began at around 6:30am on Saturday morning.
Thick smoke, as well as a number of bangs, were heard and reported by concerned onlookers due to the ferocity of the flames which consumed the hotel.
Liberty Feist, a local resident of Torquay, speaking to BBC News, said:
“You could see a thick black plume of smoke all along the seafront.
“There were sounds of windows cracking and breaking in the heat of the fire which was so severe it broke through the roof.”
The police have now confirmed that an investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway. It is not known whether arson is involved at this stage.
Arson suspected at Halal food factory
A fire in the early hours of Monday morning broke out at one of Europe’s largest Halal certified poultry facilities.
No one was injured in the blaze but over 100 wooden pallets were damaged and many trees in the surrounding area were set alight. There were also fears that the fire would spread to lorries and trailers stored in the facility.
The fire follows the company’s recent acceptance for the British Retail Consortium, Global Food Standard accreditation. It’s clients include the NHS and HM prison Services.
A spokesperson said “Our strategy is to become one of the UK’s leading providers of chicken products, not only to the Halal market but also to the conventional chicken sector. Gaining BRC accreditation is the key to unlocking the doors to blue chip food manufacturers and supermarkets.”
Police are studying CCTV footage to ascertain the cause of the fire but initial thoughts point to arson.