Hampshire supermarket destroyed in freezer blaze
A Co-op supermarket in Hampshire has been destroyed by a fire which is believed to have started in a freezer.
Fire Crews attended the incident at the shop in Cowplain, Waterlooville at around 3pm on Saturday afternoon after smoke was seen coming from a unit in the shop.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue said the building in Milton Road was “rapidly engulfed by fire” and firefighters inside the building were forced to withdraw before the flames caused the roof to collapse.
Three people required treatment at the scene for the effects of smoke inhalation and one person was taken to hospital.
It is thought that the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault in a freezer.
Phil Ponsonby, from Southern Co-operative, said: “We are very proud of the action that our colleagues in the store took to evacuate the building quickly, ensuring that no customers and colleagues were hurt. All colleagues undertake fire evacuation training and this paid off on Saturday. The store has been extensively damaged and will remain closed until further notice. We hope to be able to confirm the cause of the fire once a forensic investigation has been undertaken.”
Firefighters remained at the scene on Sunday for several hours, damping down to prevent the fire from reigniting.
Electrical fault destroys house
A house in Chwilog, Wales was destroyed after a fire caused by an electrical fault in the electricity meter broke out.
Two crews and off road vehicles from Porthmadog, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Dolgellau were called to the incident at around 1.00am on 22nd February. The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Glyn Jones from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “This fire highlights the danger of electrical fires. They can strike anytime, anywhere. It’s important to be as prepared as possible in the event of fire, by ensuring that working smoke alarms are fitted in your home and that you have clear escape routes to enable you and your family to exit your home as quickly as possible. We would also appeal to residents to ensure that areas housing electrical items such as fuse boxes are kept clear of rubbish, papers or other combustible materials which could aid fire spread.”
Somerset care home damaged by electrical fault fire
A care home for the elderly in Somerset has been damaged by a fire that broke out on 6th February.
Two fire engines attended the incident which started in a bedroom at the Sunnymeade Care Home at around 3.00pm.
A spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: “Smoke detectors were fitted and activated which alerted the Careline service who in turn contacted us.”
It is thought that the fire was caused by an electrical fault. No injuries were reported.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that you:
‘must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed’
This means that all companies as a first point in their Fire Safety must complete a Fire Risk Assessment. This must be carried out by a competent person, who is trained to perform risk assessments.
Fire at Welsh nuclear power plant
200 members of staff were evacuated after a fire at a nuclear power station in Wales broke out on 5th May.
Fire crews were unable to attend to the fire immediately as it was thought that live electrical cables were involved.
The Trawsfynydd plant is in North-West Wales and is due to be decommissioned within the next few years. The decommissioning process began in 1993.
According Magnox BNFL, the fire is believed to have started in the water cooling units used for cooling the reactors and is thought to have been an electrical fault.
A spokesperson at the plant confirmed that no one was injured in the fire and there is no risk of any radiation leaks.
Washing machine fire kills elderly man
An elderly man is thought to have been killed in a matter of seconds after inhaling cyanide when his washing machine went up in flames last year.
John Russell, 80, who lived in Lower Morden is thought to have died after trying to extinguish a washing machine fire in his kitchen on 18th September 2010.
London Fire Brigade reported that Mr Russell’s washing machine was set alight due to an electrical fault and the flames then spread to other nearby flammable materials.
Mr Atkinson from the London Fire Brigade said: “We believe that, at some point, he intervened and probably tried to tackle the fire by shutting the door behind him to keep it confined. Unfortunately that exacerbated the situation for him. He seemed to be an old-school type of gentleman but it would have been better to have left it.”
A verdict of accidental death was found and coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox said: “I find that, on the balance of probabilities, it was something as toxic as cyanide that killed him very quickly indeed before he could have been burned. No smoke alarms were fitted but would it have prevented this death? I suspect it would not have done.”