Elderly man killed in Cambridge house fire
An elderly man has died in a fire at his Cambridge home.
Harry Robertson, 69, was found by firefighters in the Cherry Hinton terraced house at around 1.30am on Tuesday 8th November. It took fire crews from Cambridge and Sawston two hours to get the fire under control.
Neighbour Mikhail Lomonosov said: “I woke up with all the flashing lights in the night. I could see the flames on the corner of his front room window. It is really very sad. He was a very quiet man and kept himself to himself. I used to see him pottering about his front garden caring for his red tree.”
Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “I am still in shock about what has happened. He was a very nice man. We have lived here for about four years but he moved here when it was built about 40 years ago.”
A full investigation will be carried out to confirm the cause of the fire.
Cornwall house destroyed in explosion
A man from Truro has been charged with arson endangering life after a house in Cornwall was destroyed in a huge explosion.
The explosion happened at a house in Bodmin, at 9pm on 18th October.
24 firefighters battled the blaze for several hours at the detached house in Margaret Crescent.
Lee Griffin from the fire service said: “The front of the house was actually lying in the front garden. With the force of the explosion and the immediate residences in the area it is amazing no one was injured.”
Nearby homes were left without an electricity supply
It has been reported that the house was empty at the time of the blast, and that no one was injured.
An investigation is now being carried out to determine the cause of the explosion.
Dunstan Hall Hotel kitchen fire
Fire crews from Carrow and Earlham attended a fire at Dunston Hall Hotel, Ipswich Road, near Norwich, at around 9.30am on 17th October.
Denis Mcevoy, general manager, confirmed that around 100 people had to be evacuated from the hotel.
Mr Mcevoy said: “The fire brigade were fantastic and staff are well trained. A lot of people had gone out to play golf. We had about 100 customers and staff but we got everyone out.”
Fire crews had extinguished the fire by 10.30am. All staff and guests were evacuated safely and there were no injuries reported.
It is thought that the fire started in an oven.
Dunston Hall Hotel, which has 169 rooms and 11 conference rooms, was built in 1859 and is now run by the De Vere group.
At the Fire Training Academy, we know that fire safety in hotels, guest houses or bed and breakfasts presents a different challenge from other businesses due to the large number of people on the premises that are not employees. Because of this, the people on your premises will not be fully aware of the fire procedures, etc you use. If you would like more information on fire safety in hotels, please get in touch.
Fire at Manchester Food and Drink Festival
Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire which broke out at a stall during the Manchester food and Drink Festival.
Fire crews attended the Chillikoko Cuisine stall in Albert Square belonging to a Cumbrian firm at around 9pm on Monday 10th October. Three people were injured in the fire.
Andrew Nutter, who witnessed the incident said: “There was a flash, a bang and an explosion and then a man all in flames ran across Albert Square.”
It has been reported that the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak that had ignited.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire Service said: “The investigation will look at whether there was a gas leak from one of the cylinders and whether the gas was then ignited by one of the cooking ranges. This was a licensed event where all the relevant health and safety guidelines will have been adhered to.”
The Health and Safety Executive will be investigating to establish the exact cause of the fire.
150 evacuated from tower block blaze
A man is in a critical condition after a tower block fire.
Fire crews evacuated 150 residents from a block of flats in Wandsworth, south London at around 12.35 am on Friday 12th August after a fire broke out on the 9th floor.
Firefighters pulled the 40 year old man from the fire and he was immediately taken to hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. It is reported that the man had also suffered a cardiac arrest according to a London Fire Brigade spokesperson.
50 firefighters and 8 engines attended the incident at Andrew Reed House which took around 2 hours to extinguish.
Scotland Yard confirm that the fire was not linked to the recent riots in the capital.
A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade said that: “Eighty per cent damage was caused to the flat where the fire started while 70% damage was done to the external fascia above the ninth floor.”