Three arrested for Northampton arson attacks
Police have arrested three people in connection with suspected arson attacks carried out on two homes in Northampton.
The incidents happened in the space of a few hours and were in the same area.
A spokesperson for Northamptonshire Police said: “Officers have today arrested three men in connection with this week’s arson attacks in Drywell Court, east Northampton. The men, two local and one from out of the county, are currently being held in custody for questioning.”
The second fire, at the single storey home of an elderly disabled woman caused significant damage to the property which has been left structurally unsafe. Thankfully the woman managed to escape with only minor injuries.
A neighbour who witnessed the incident said: “I was woken up by the smoke, it was frightening and I quickly got my children up and out of the house. I turned and saw flames coming out of next door’s home, I couldn’t believe it. It is a terrible thing to do but the main thing is that everyone is okay.”
A woman living in the house that was targeted first said: “I still can’t really understand what’s happened, we saw the explosion and just got out. My daughter was shouting, it could have been her bedroom. I can’t believe they returned and did another house. Another neighbour had a brick through their window. Who could do this? Thank God everyone is okay.”
Detective Inspector Ally White from Northampton CID said: “These are very serious incidents and we asking anyone with information about these incidents, who we have not yet spoken with, to come forward. Thankfully no-one was hurt as a result but one of the properties sustained severe structural damage. We are confident that these incidents can be isolated and that there is no wider risk to the community. But we will be putting on extra community patrols, day and night, to reassure residents in the area. We would ask people living in the vicinity of these incidents to report any suspicious activity to us.”
The investigation into how the fire started is being carried out.
Huge fire at Spanish Grand Prix
Fire crews have been criticised for their ‘laid back’ response after a fire broke out in a garage at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The fire started around 90 minutes after the race had finished. Sir Frank Williams was giving a speech to team members when the thick black smoke was seen billowing from one of the garages. It is thought that the fire started in fuel area.
The blaze was tackled by Williams team personnel, with help from Caterham and Force India.
Bob Fearnley, Force India’s deputy principal was shocked at how badly the incident was dealt with. He said: “Incompetent would be a very polite way of saying what these people have done here today. There’s no training, no procedures. I went down to see how my man is, and I had to fight my way in. We need to look seriously at the training of people at the circuits. I’m not impressed at all.”
Mark Gillian, Williams chief operations engineer thanked all members of the rival teams for their help in trying to deal with the fire.
Gillian said: “On behalf of Williams, I’d like to thank all of the team members from other teams for their help during the fire. We were overwhelmed by the support. It was really impressive. Williams would like to say thanks to the teams, the FIA, FOM and all of those who came to help. It was a serious issue and I am very grateful indeed. What happened after a great result is very disappointing, but things were limited by the fast response of our team and everyone who helped.”
The fire left 31 team members needing medical attention. 7 people are still being treated in hospital.
The fire destroyed a huge amount of Williams equipment but Gillian said there is no doubt that they would be competing at the Moncao Grand Prix in around 2 weeks time.
Gillian added: “We had a lot of damage and we have lost a lot of equipment, including IT equipment. Over the next couple of days we will be looking at where we are parts-wise. We will have everything we need to run operationally at Monaco, but we may be missing a few of the extras because obviously we don’t carry a complete set of spares for everything.”
Woman dies in County Durham house fire
A 65 year old woman has died after a fire broke out at a home in County Durham.
Firefighters attended the fire at Honister Place, in Newton Aycliffe at around 1pm on 14th May.
The woman and her 37-year-old son were rescued by fire crews and taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital by ambulance but sadly the woman died shortly after.
Andy Hopkinson from the fire service said: “This tragic loss of life is deeply saddening and our thoughts are with the person’s family and friends at this time. This is the second fatal house fire in County Durham in as many months and I strongly urge people to ensure they have a working smoke alarm fitted on every level of their home. Please don’t forget your friends, relatives or neighbours, particularly those who are vulnerable, such as the elderly or who live alone. Do they have a working smoke alarm?”
5 people rescued from fire after gas cylinder ignites
Five people are recovering in hospital after a fire broke out at a flat in Weston-super-Mare.
Firefighters attended the incident on Ashcombe Road on Monday 14th May.
It is thought that the fire started when a gas cylinder was being changed on a portable camping stove in a ground floor flat. A woman from that property managed to escape before firefighters arrived at the scene.
A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said: “The occupants of the first floor managed to get out onto a flat roof at the rear of the property as their normal exit was blocked and firefighters used ladders to rescue them. All five were taken to hospital as a precaution after breathing in smoke. Firefighters also rescued three pets, a dog, rabbit and guinea pig from the flats.”
12 cars destroyed in garage fire
A fire which broke out on the afternoon of 6th May has destroyed a car workshop in Walsall.
Around 30 firefighters from Walsall, Bloxwich, Willenhall, Wednesbury, Bilston and West Bromwich attended the scene at the Monmore Green Welding Co facility in Birchills at around 1pm.
The owner of the garage, Simon Pearson said: “It has taken the workshop out completely. I have been here 33 years and there were vintage car parts in there which I can’t put a price on.”
Around 80% of the building and 12 cars were destroyed in the blaze as the fire tore through the building.
No casualties were reported in the incident