Fire destroys Lotus hospitality unit
The Lotus hospitality unit at the Malaysian Grand Prix has been destroyed in a fire.
It is thought that the fire started due to a faulty fridge fuse.
The entire catering, PR and marketing departments have been affected, as well as the drivers’ rooms. It is thought that the race suits and boots belonging to Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean were saved!
Stephane Samson who is head of team marketing and communications said: “There was a fire in the hospitality unit due to the failure of a fridge fuse, with the whole hospitality and kitchen destroyed. Thankfully a security guard was able to save the drivers’ race suits which are currently being dry cleaned as they were affected by smoke. They were a bit smelly. Everything else has been lost – a couple of laptops, along with everything required to carry out our marketing and PR this weekend. The comms team are maybe going to try to work in the media centre, certainly for this morning at least.”
The Mercedes’ and Ferrari hospitality units were also affected by smoke.
Events agency loses motorbikes in arson attack
A fire which seriously damaged 5 commercial buildings in a Corby industrial estate also destroyed a number of Honda motorcycles.
The fire was thought to have been started deliberately after ram raiders drove into the building.
The blaze started at events agency KCS. John Walker from KCS said: “We are understandably distressed by what has happened and also that something of this magnitude has affected KCS through the sheer reckless behaviour of others. Despite this however, we are putting all our efforts into rebuilding the business and replacing the assets so that we can continue to provide Honda with the events service and support we have been proud to deliver over the last 13 years. We have been inundated with calls from well-wishers and cannot thank them and Honda enough for their support. We may have been burned but it’s business as usual.”
KCS is Honda UK’s dedicated events agency and had been storing several bikes which had recently been used on the company’s stand at a motorcycle show in London.
House seriously damaged in fire
Firefighters attended a fire at a house in Hanham at around 4am on 24th March.
Three people had to be rescued from the house. One man had to climb on to the roof of the property to escape the flames and smoke.
Fire crews from Speedwell and Kingswood spent several hours at the scene and were later joined by additional crews from Temple, Brislington, Yate and Bedminster.
Jim Wemyss from Avon Fire and Rescue Service said that a woman believed to be about 70 and two men were rescued and taken to hospital by paramedics.
He said: “The fire was well developed when crews arrived and it was starting to break through the roof. The house was on a steep hill and the access was therefore awkward.”
Local roads were closed during the incident. The house was seriously damaged in the blaze.
Investigators are now working to establish the cause of the fire.
Firefighters issue warning after Dartford Heath fires
Fire crews are warning people to be careful following a number of bush fires on Dartford Heath.
There have already been 13 call-outs made to this area this year which is 11 more than the same time last year.
Phil Rice, Station manager in the Kent Fire and Rescue Service west group said: “When it is dry, warm and windy these fires can spread very quickly. You only need a bit of wind or breeze and you can get caught out. About six years ago, two firefighters got burnt on Dartford Heath when the wind changed and it blew back in their faces.”
Watch manager for Dartford Dave Read said: “These types of fires often need lots of resources and divert firefighters away from other incidents such as house fires or road crashes where lives may be in danger. There are a number of ways in which people can help us, such as discarding cigarettes and rubbish carefully. We’d also like to warn deliberate fire-setters that if they are caught, they face fines or several years in jail – possibly a life sentence if someone is killed as a result of their actions.”
North Wales Fire Service warns of danger of careless smoking
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service have highlighted the dangers of carelessly discarded smoking materials.
The warning follows two smoking related fires within the space of a few hours in Denbighshire.
Firefighters attended a fire at a house in Llangollen on 27th March at around 6.30am after a resident smelt smoke coming from a lodger’s room. The fire had been caused by smoking material being discarded in a waste paper basket.
Firefighters also attended a fire caused in the same way at a semi detached property in Rhyl on the same day.
Gwyn Jones, Community Safety Manager for Conwy and Denbighshire said: “These incidents clearly highlight the dangers of not extinguishing cigarettes properly in suitable containers. It is vital to make sure all smoking materials are put out safely, especially before bed time. The best way to cut the risk is not to smoke indoors at all. Many smoking related fires happen at night when people fall asleep or smoke in bed and furniture or fabrics are set alight. Worryingly, research shows that smokers are less likely than non-smokers to have working smoke alarms which could alert them to the dangers and give the chance of escape.”