Fire at Redditch Factory
Fire crews from Hereford and Worcester Fire Service attended a fire at a factory in Redditch on Thursday, 3rd March.
The fire broke out at the factory owned by The Robst Group at around noon but thanks to the automatic fire alarm system being activated, fire crews were able to get to the fire quickly before any major damage was caused.
The spare parts manager of the group, Veronique Mureau said that due to the fast reactions of the firefighters, there should be no serious disruption to the business.
It is a legal requirement that a fire risk assessment be carried out on all commercial buildings. If business owners fail to adhere to these laws they can be prosecuted, fined and even sent to prison.
Billericay charity shop closes High Street
A fire which broke out at an Essex Oxfam shop caused chaos on Billericay High Street on the morning of Friday 4th March.
The fire spread to 3 other neighbouring buildings causing a roof to collapse and the area had to be closed to the public and vehicles for many hours.
10 fire crews attended the blaze and no casualties have been reported.
The cause of the fire is being investigated but is not being treated as suspicious.
It is a legal requirement that a fire risk assessment be carried out on all commercial buildings. If business owners fail to adhere to these laws they can be prosecuted, fined and even sent to prison.
Fire service expected to do more about arson
The Wales Audit Office has declared that the South Wales Fire Service needs to consider doing more in order to prevent arson in the region.
This recommendation comes from the comprehensive audit and inspection service which covers an expansive range of public services.
The Auditor General for Wales has challenged the fire service to reduce the number of fires in the region that are set alight on purpose. At the moment this accounts for around four out of five blazes.
Auditor Huw Vaughan Thomas did admit that the fire authority is “well managed” but the report still emphasised the need to bring down the arson rate, which has now become the highest in the country.
He said: “The authority is very conscious of the challenge and its arson reduction team is delivering a number of initiatives with some success.”
Arson is something which needs to be considered by businesses everywhere and not just in this part of Wales. Malicious fires are a big threat to organisations in all sectors and so it is necessary for them to protect their premises by installing the latest fire safety and security measures as a safeguard. Fire training for staff is another important consideration.
Cricketer Trevor Bailey has died in a fire at his home
Cricketer, Trevor Bailey has died in a fire at his home in Westcliff-on-Sea.
Bailey who was 87 years old lived in the retirement home with his wife Greta, who was rescued from the fire.
Bob Wahl from the Essex Fire Service said “Crews did a fantastic job getting into the property quickly and searching through the smoke to find the woman. She was in bed with the door shut and so that’s probably what saved her. Firefighters carried her out of the property and she was left in the care of the ambulance service. Her husband had gone to the kitchen, which is where crews found him. Unfortunately there was nothing we could do. We will now have to wait for the fire investigation results to see how the fire started”
Barn fire leads to fire service smoke warning
The fire service issued a warning to residents in a village close to Swanage, Dorset, last week, to ensure that their doors and windows were kept closed for a time, following a huge barn fire which was emitting quite a large volume of smoke.
Despite the advice given to wait for the smoke to clear, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service moved quickly to allay fears that there was also asbestos contamination to worry about.
Firefighters were called to the blaze at Coombe Farm at Coombe Hill, near Langton Matravers, around 6pm last Tuesday evening to find that the flames in the barn were reaching around nine metres in height.
The barn was destroyed in the fire, and as it was made from asbestos sheeting, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service issued the following statement through their spokesperson:
“It must be stressed that any asbestos released would be of an insignificant amount.
“It is advised that if you live within the vicinity of this incident, and you smell smoke outside your property, close all windows and doors, and remain inside.
“This is purely a precautionary measure.”
The barn fire eventually burned itself out, though the fire crews from Swanage and Poole remained at the scene during the night.