Woodland destroyed in forest fire
A huge fire broke out at Hartlebury Common on 25th May damaging about 2000 square metres of woodland.
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service were alerted at about 5.50pm after receiving over 50 calls from the public.
The incident was tackled by 2 fire engines from Kidderminster and additional fire engines from Stourport, Droitwich, Worcester and Bromsgrove later joined the scene.
Chris George-Burnell from the fire service said: “With the gusty wind conditions and flames up to 35 metres high at times, crews had to work really hard to surround this fire and bring it under control.”
The cause of the fire is not known. SC George-Burnell urged members of the public to ensure that in periods of dry weather they be extra vigilant and to ensure that cigarettes and matches are disposed of properly.
Kingston fire victim named
A 48 year old man who died in a fire last week has just been named as Anthony Arthur Ash.
The fire broke out in a first-floor flat above Lime Leaves Restaurant in Kingston at around 9.15pm on 18th May and was quickly extinguished by the London Fire Brigade. Mr Ash was pronounced dead at the scene.
An inquest into the death has been opened.
The incident is not being treated as suspicious.
Fire at Norfolk beauty spot
A fire broke out at a popular tourist spot in Norfolk last weekend.
The fire was reported at around 3.30pm on Sunday. Nine fire engines from Norfolk and Suffolk and two specialist appliances attended the fire at Fritton Wood, Great Yarmouth.
The fire was spotted by a couple and their children who were walking in the wood at the time. Mr Matthew Charlton and Emma Long called the fire brigade and also attempted to contain the fire by moving branches away from it.
Mr Charlton from Salisbury Road said: “I could see some smoke so we went to have a look. At first we thought it was some controlled fire, but there was no one around at all. When I saw it, it was clear it was big fire. While Emma rang the fire brigade I cleared some branches away from the fire to stop it spreading. The wind was fuelling the fire and it spread to trees very quickly. Then police, an ambulance and the fire brigade turned up and I was told to move away.”
An investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out.
Fire destroys warehouse and classic car collection
A huge fire that broke out on Saturday night has destroyed a warehouse and the owners classic car collection.
Mr Colesellhill who owns Jenda UK Ltd in Irthlingborough, had to stand and watch whilst his business and his American classic cars went up in flames after a fire tore through the warehouse.
50 firefighters tackled the blaze for eight hours, but could not save the building.
Mr Colesellhill: “It has burned half of the building down. It’s devastating. My little world has come to an abrupt end.”
Initial reports show that the fire may have started at the entrance of the building near huge bundles of used clothing stored in cages. My Colesellhill was also storing large amounts of cooking oil which he was selling to be made into bio-diesel.
Chris Kemp from Wellingborough Fire Station said: “There are a lot of rags in there and they have been smouldering and burning for a long time. The oil and the rags are not a good thing together. If the oil contaminated the rags they burn quite freely.”
An investigation will be carried out to determine the exact cause of the fire.
London fire incident map
A map of London that shows the number of fire related incidents in the capital is now available to view on line.
The map shows all recorded incidents that have been dealt with by firefighters.
The map shows that firefighters are called to approximately 3734 incidents in each London borough every month, Croydon had the most serious fires – and Southwark had the most call outs to people being stuck in lifts!
Susan Hall from the fire Authority’s Community Safety Committee said: “London’s firefighters have done an excellent job of making the capital safer in recent years but there are still some areas that are having too many fires. The map shows that fires happen each and every day across London – what better incentive could there be for people to make sure it doesn’t happen to them?”
The map can be viewed here: http://maps.london-fire.gov.uk/