Threat of recycling plant fire spreading now averted
A disaster scenario usually reserved for movies almost become a reality last Friday when a fire at a glass processing plant in Ellesmere Port docks was looking like it would spread to a nearby power station.
If this had happened then dangerous chemicals would have been ignited and the situation would have been much worse than it was.
Fortunately, the 75 firefighters or so with their 15 appliances managed to prevent the flames from reaching the power station just in time.
The fire crews, from Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales, attended the fire at a Midland Glass Processing warehouse on North Road just after 1pm on Friday afternoon where they battled to gain control of the situation.
After three hours tackling the fire, the crews, assisted by workers who helped to clear the area, managed to avert the potential catastrophe.
A spokeswoman for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Sian Corrigan, said:
“This had the potential to be a major blaze hence the number of resources sent to it. However, thanks to the actions of the crews they were able to prevent the fire developing from its initial state, which was relatively small although it did cause a lot of smoke.”
Shotton club fire may have been started deliberately
Police believe that a fire, which tore through a disused social club in Shotton, Flintshire, on Friday, may have been started on purpose.
Shotton Lane Social Club, the scene of the suspicious fire is still in the hands of the fire crews although detectives hope that they will soon be given the go ahead to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Around 100 people had to be evacuated from their properties due to the danger surrounding the condition of the building and the chances of the fire spreading.
A joint fire service and police investigation will soon get underway into the suspected arson attack, once the former social club is deemed to be safe to enter by the safety assessors.
Detective Chief Inspector Graham Talbot of the North Wales Police said:
“The former social club, which remains owned by a brewery, has been secured as a crime scene and we will be able to establish if we can commence our investigations inside the building.
“If so, the building will be subject to forensic examination which should help determine the cause of the fire and where it started.”
The police have asked anyone with information regarding the fire to come forward.
Toddler praised for alerting parent to fire
Firefighters have moved swiftly to commend a three-year-old girl who helped to prevent “serious consequences” after a fire ripped through a garden shed next to her house in Droitwich, Worcestershire last Friday.
Megan Key was playing at the time, when she noticed that flames were coming from the outdoor structure towards the house.
She then told her mother, Susan, about a noise coming from the conservatory. Once Susan saw the flames she managed to get them both out of the house safely and clear from the danger.
The fire brigade were called and they managed to tackle the fire without anyone getting injured.
Watch Commander for Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Craig Newman, said:
“Thanks to this little girl, we were at the scene very quickly and the fire was under control within around 20 minutes.
“The shed was completely destroyed and there was also damage to both houses either side of it.
“We really feel that this fire had the potential to be far more serious than it was, especially as there was a gas cylinder nearby which could easily have caught fire and exploded.
“The family can be very proud of their young daughter.”
Farmhouse fire investigation uncovers human remains
Police investigations into a recent farmhouse fire near the town of Denny in Scotland have revealed what could prove to be the remains of the human occupants.
The fire, which happened just before 4am in the morning at Castlerankine Farm, in Stirlingshire, on Thursday the 9th of December, destroyed the two-storey building.
A member of the public first reported that the farmhouse was alight and flames could already be seen coming from the property.
Emergency services attended the scene but the occupants of the residence, 65-year-old David Millar and his 75-year-old sister Mary, were not found. This has led to fears that the siblings might have lost their lives in the fire.
There was a delay to the initial search of the farmhouse due to the danger posed by the damage to the building.
Once it was deemed structurally safe for the investigation to begin the search for evidence, the forensic team happened to come across the remains.
A spokesperson for the police said:
“Work is ongoing to identify the remains, which will be done through a forensic process.
“A specialist team of investigators, including police, fire, and forensic experts, have been searching the building since Monday and the work continues.”
Quick work by firefighters saves cottage from substantial fire damage
It has been reported that thanks to the swift efforts of fire crews, a thatched cottage fire in Essex was put out without there being any widespread damage to the structure.
The firefighters from Essex and Suffolk stations were praised for preventing the blaze from spreading at the building in Church Road, Wormingford, which is just north of Colchester.
Five fire engines attended the scene where the fire had spread to the roof from a chimney. The fire crews worked by dragging the thatch away from the danger area using just their hands, while at the same time, fire hoses were turned towards the flames.
Station officer John Harris explained:
“Crews did an excellent job getting on top of and extinguishing this fire so quickly.
“Often fires in thatched properties lead to widespread damage.
“The fire appears to have started in the chimney. They had lit their fireplace and there must have been a fault in the chimney which allowed fire to get in the roof.
“Because crews had all arrived so quickly we were able to get four ladders up to the chimney and strip the thatch away.
“It is difficult, labour intensive work but crews worked really hard and we had quickly stripped the roof away and prevented the spread of the fire.
“At the same time we carried out a salvage operation to prevent the water from our hoses from damaging their property.
“The fire was quickly extinguished then we covered the holes in the roof with salvage sheets to help keep out the worst of the weather.”