Fire at Torquay refuse site
Fire fighters were called to a fire at a site in Torquay used by construction companies to dump building rubble and debris.
Motorists called the fire service at around 5.30pm on Friday after the smoke started to drift across the road causing travel chaos.
It is not the first time fire fighters have been called to the site. A spokesperson for Torquay Fire Station said “We have been up there half a dozen times and the fire service is now investigating the process there. We were there for four or five hours tying up resources on that piece of land. We are now taking steps to get the situation remedied.”
Fire at ethnic food factory
A fire that may have started in a cooking vat filled with oil broke out at Imperial Snack Foods in Wolverhampton.
The fire started at the ethnic food factory at around 11.30am yesterday.
A spokes person for the Fire Service said “It had the potential to be a very serious incident but it was dealt with very quickly and as far as we understand, while the police and ambulance service attended, no one was inured.”
An investigation in to the cause of the fire will be carried out.
Investigation begins into cattle market fire
It has been confirmed that a probe is now underway following a suspected arson attack on a cattle market in Cornwall which happened near the end of last month.
Firefighters from Truro and Falmouth attended the scene of the blaze at Truro Cattle Market on Newquay Road, around 11.30pm on Tuesday the 23rd of November.
The fire crews arrived to find a pile of rubbish that was alight within a corner of the dairy building.
The area on fire in the 100ft by 165ft single-storey cattle market dairy structure had to be damped down by firefighters who made sure the blaze had been fully extinguished before the enquiry could begin.
Western Power also sent engineers to the location in order to isolate the power supply.
No injuries have been reported following the late night fire.
The operators of the cattle market have indicated that, despite the substantial damage to the building, the business is still to carry on, with their security company to oversee its safety.
The fire service has said that fire investigation officers are now working with police to establish the exact cause of the blaze, which is being treated as suspicious and a possible arson attack.
Shortage of fire risk assessors in UK
A lack of competent fire risk assessors is causing great concern amongst UK landlords says the Peabody Housing Association.
Landlords are finding it very difficult to find assessors that they can trust to carry out vital safety assessments on their properties.
The claim was made by Robert Groom, Peabody’s fire safety and emergency planning manager, at an event last month in association with the London Fire Brigade. The events main aim was to see how effectively the Regulatory Reform Order of 2005 is being enforced.
Blaze tears through South Tyneside hotel
It has been reported that a fire has badly damaged a hotel in Boldon, South Tyneside.
Up to 35 firefighters were required at the Quality Hotel in Witney Way, Boldon Colliery, just before 11am on the 22nd November with the fire having started in the sauna area.
The fire crews extinguished the flames within three to four hours and it was confirmed that everybody in the hotel at the time of the fire managed to escape safely.
There was however one injury reported, although it was not life-threatening, with one woman taken to hospital.
Due to the blaze a number of roads in the area were affected by drifting smoke and so Northumbria Police warned motorists to be very careful when driving close to the hotel.
The district manager for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, John Allison, confirmed that the fire originated in the sauna room and that firefighters prevented it spreading to the bedrooms in the hotel.
The reception area, function room and health spa suffered substantial damage in the huge fire.
The precise cause of the fire is not yet known at this stage although an investigation is currently underway by the fire and rescue service.