Mansfield store fined over £32,000 for breaching fire safety regulations
A bargain store in Mansfield has had to pay a fine of over £32,000 after being found guilty of breaching fire safety regulations.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service inspected the newly opened B&M store in Stockwell Gate in June 2012 and discovered the breaches.
Representatives from the store appeared in Mansfield Magistrates Court and admitted breaching six fire safety offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The company had failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and had obstructed fire exits leading out of the building. One exit route led to a locked enclosed area employees had not received adequate safety training.
In mitigation, barrister Austin Welch who represented the company said that B&M took health and safety and fire regulations very seriously. He said: “This is not a case where a company has operated for a great deal of time, the staff had been working there for three weeks and it had been open for a week, this is an extremely short period of time.”
Ian Taylor from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are here to provide advice and support to local businesses and are always willing to help to make sure they comply with the fire safety legislation. However, the public should continue to be reassured that we take any breaches of fire safety very seriously and will use legal sanctions where necessary. In this case, my officers had previously spent some time ensuring that B&M Retail Ltd was aware of its responsibilities and duties to ensure people’s safety, and it is disappointing that they chose to continue to place people at risk from fire.”
Arson suspected at Gwent college
A fire that broke out in a college in Wales is thought to have been started deliberately.
Firefighters attended the incident at the Pontypool campus of Coleg Gwent at around 1.30am on 5th June after a fire broke out in a ground floor office.
Crews from New Inn, Cwmbran and Pontypool spent over an hour bringing the flames under control.
Inspector Ian Thomas, from the Gwent Police force control room confirmed that the blaze is thought to have been started deliberately and there are indications that some kind of accelerant was used to start the fire.
There were no injuries reported in the incident. A full investigation into the cause of the fire is now under way.
West Yorkshire fire service warns of £20,000 fine
West Yorkshire firefighters are warning potential arsonists that if they start grass fires they could be faced with a £20,000 fine.
West Yorkshire Firefighters have been called to 40 moorland wildfires so far this year.
In 2011, firefighters had to tackle a deliberately-started fire on Baildon Moor in March, which caused significant damage to an area used by ground-nesting birds such as curlew, lapwings and skylarks.
In another incident, 50 acres of Grassington Moor was destroyed by fire as controlled burning was fanned by winds.
The fire service has warned that anyone found to have started a fire deliberately on a Site of Special Scientific Interest could face a fine of up to £20,000.
Station Commander Robin Ward, said: “Moorland fires are notoriously difficult to tackle because they are often in inaccessible locations, where there is little or no water supply. They burn quickly and ferociously and, when driven by strong winds, can be unpredictable and dangerous for firefighters. These fires can cause damage to the land and they can wipe out wildlife.”
British shopping mall manager detained after 13 children die in Qatari fire
A British man has been detained by police in connection with a huge fire that killed 13 children in a Qatari mall last week.
Tzoulios Tzouliou, is the British manager of the Villaggio Mall in Doha. The fire killed all the toddlers in the Gympanzee Nursery and their four teachers. Two firefighters also died in the fire.
Mr Tzouliou is undergoing questioning about fire safety measures and evacuation plans and procedure in the shopping mall.
It is thought that security guards told shoppers that had been alerted by fire alarms that it was safe to return as flames tore through the building.
It is also reported that Firefighters were not immediately told about the first floor nursery.
Five others have been detained by police in relation to the incident. These include Iman al Kuwari, the Qatari owner of Gympanzee, and Rima Itani, Mr Tzouliou’s assistant manager.
Doha police said that Mr Tzouliou was not under arrest but was being “detained”.
3 people die in Melbourne house fire
A huge fire has destroyed a home and left at least 3 people dead in Melbourne, Australia.
25 firefighters tackled the fire on Main Road, Clayton West at around 12.50am, on 1st June.
A spokesperson for Victoria Police said: “Detectives believe that four people usually reside in the home and they are yet to be accounted for.”
It is thought that a mother in her 30s and her two boys, aged five and nine died in the fire although this has not yet been confirmed.
Several neighbours tried desperately to break into the property to rescue the mother and children.
A spokesman from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade said that the roof almost collapsed before the fire was brought under control. He added: “An MFB fire Investigator is in attendance along with police personnel. Firefighters will be in attendance for some hours assisting to determine a cause.”
An arson and explosive squad detective will be visiting the scene to determine how the fire was started.