Elderly woman dies in Plymouth house fire
The 84 year old woman, named locally as Katherine Sanders was found by firefighters in a first floor bedroom and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 60 year old son, Peter Stacey is in a critical condition in Derriford Hospital.
Fire station manager Alan Bowers, who worked throughout the night with crews from Greenbank and Crownhill, said: “Flames were coming out of the back of the house by the time we arrived. What is apparent is the fire spread rapidly to 100 per cent of the house. Luckily we don’t have to deal with many incidents like this. It’s an absolute tragedy. This is the most ferocious domestic house fire I’ve seen in my 20-odd years of service.”
Neighbours tried to break into the property but were blown back out by the immense force of the fire.
A neighbour, Janet Coutts said: “They only got four yards in. The fire just blew them all out straight away and they were coughing and choking. The firemen said if they’d tried to do any more they could have lost their lives too.”
It is not yet known what caused the fire but it is believed to have started in the kitchen shortly after Mr Stacey returned home.
1500 evacuated as fire breaks out in top London hotel
A fire which broke out in London’s Park Lane Hilton hotel on Friday evening resulted in the evacuation of over 1,500. Amongst those evacuated was Black Eyed Peas singer Will-i-am who was in London to perform at a festival in Hyde Park.
Fifty firefighters battled the fire for around seven hours after being alerted to smoke in a second floor kitchen and in the basement. Six fire engines and an aerial platform were used at the incident.
Police reports confirm that there were no casualties in the fire.
Hospital A&E closed after fire
A fire which closed the emergency department of a Derbyshire hospital was caused by a fault in a drinks’ fridge, fire investigators have said.
The fire which broke out in the emergency department of a Derbyshire hospital on Saturday night is thought to have been caused by a fault in a fridge in the hospital newsagents.
The emergency department in the Chesterfield Royal Hospital was closed and patients were taken to nearby hospitals in Sheffield, Derby, and Nottingham.
The incident was attended by 10 engines and it took 60 firefighters until after midnight to put out the fire.
Although the hospital is open again, the Accident and Emergency departments and fracture clinic suffered serious smoke and fire damage.
Eric Morton from the hospital said: “We are facing long-term disruption particularly in the main entrance, where thousands of patients book in for their appointments each day. We will try to ensure services run as smoothly as possible, we realise there will be some inconvenience.”
Businesses evacuated after sub-station fire
Firefighters were called to a fire in Scunthorpe after a fire broke out in an electric sub-station.
The sub-station was damaged by the fire which led to businesses including the Blue Bell Inn, Industry and Matrix Club being without electricity.
The pub and club had to be evacuated just before midnight on Friday and the area was cordoned off by police.
Pete Baron, Spokesman for Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said: “Two crews were sent, but because it was a sub-station, we couldn’t tackle the blaze until Yorkshire Electric isolated the power. The first thing was boundary cooling and keeping everything in the surrounding area was protected. The nature of the fuel involved will have caused the fire to be quite big, It burns quite ferociously.”
Unmanned water jets set at a very high volume were used and the fire was eventually extinguished using three hose reel jets.
A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: “The public order officers were already at the scene and there was minimal risk to the public. Officers ensured no one was injured or at risk.”
Nicky Pound who witnessed the incident said: “We walked into the Blue Bell Inn just before midnight and a fire engine went past. Then at about 12.05am, everything in Frodingham Road just went black. The bouncers were saying ‘everybody out, as quickly as you can’. It was all cordoned off and there were plumes of black smoke. It was a bit scary as nobody knew what was going on, but the town centre emptied quite quietly.”
Many businesses and more than 300 homes were without power after the blaze but Yorkshire Electric Distribution Limited managed to restore power by late Saturday afternoon.
The cause of the fire is not known but foul play is not suspected.
Lucky escape for family after fire breaks out in bedroom
Two adults and three children escaped from a fire thought to have been caused by an electrical fault in a bedroom.
Firefighters from Redhill and Springbourne were called to the fire in Junction Road in Winton at around 4am on Saturday and soon requested backup from a Westbourne crew after the fire worsened. The family tried to escape from the building but were trapped by fumes at the back of the house. Luckily firefighters found them and managed to get them out safely.
A Dorset Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the cause of the fire was believed to be an electrical fault, starting in a bedroom.
Station manager Richard Coleman, who was at the scene, said “We think the people were incredibly lucky to get out with their lives, the fire was very close to their bedrooms. The smoke alarms would have alerted them very early on that there was a fire and would have prevented the injuries and smoke inhalation that put them in hospital.”
The family was treated in hospital on Saturday for smoke inhalation and the father had suffered burns to his hands.
At the Fire Training Academy we encourage people to test their smoke alarms EVERY Tuesday. Get in to the habit of testing yours on ‘Test it Tuesday’. It really could save your life!