Doncaster fire calls response targeted
It was announced last week that the target response times for Doncaster fire crews to attend life-threatening incidents could be axed under new proposals.
Currently the target for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue is to attend 80 per cent of house fires or road crashes in six minutes or less which could also be extended to around 10 minutes after the brigade failed to hit the mark.
Also a third risk-based option – where communities traditionally prone to more fires have one target and those with fewer blazes a different one – is also being put out to public consultation from the beginning of this week.
The brigade – which has to save £9.5m over four years – has not met its self-set six-minute target once in six years and the report to the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority said research showed response times were ‘not the main factor in preventing fire fatalities’.
Fire at Alderley Edge Panacea celebrity restaurant ‘suspicious’
This wasn’t the first fire that took place at Panacea Alderley Edge. Following the incident in 2008 – days after it first opened a second “major blaze” at the Cheshire restaurant and bar popular with footballers and celebrities is being treated as suspicious by police.
The fire service was called to the Panacea restaurant in London Road, Alderley Edge at 22:30 GMT on Tuesday 12th March and ten fire crews tackled the blaze, which broke through the roof of the property.
Cheshire Police said no one was injured. Officers want to speak to two people who were seen to arrive in a car before the fire broke out who then were seen walking towards the building and then left in the car.
They are particularly keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time and saw a dark coloured BMW or Audi shortly before 22:30 GMT.”
Cheshire Fire Service said it was still damping down at the scene, with the damage to the building described as “extensive” and are now working closely with the authorities to establish the cause of the fire.
Machinery fault theory in Rotherham factory blaze probe
Following the fire that broke out on Friday 8th March fire investigators are still working to establish how the powder coatings factory, JGW Coatings, caught fire, closing a Rotherham road for several hours.
Crews cordoned off the burning building, closing Mangham Way in both directions and remaining there until 5.30pm.
A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said that the fire had involved powdered plastic and that five other units on the business park were evacuated, also adding that the blaze had been extinguished quickly.
Evacuations included the five units and 12 staff members at JGW Coatings with no injuries being sustained.
The blaze is thought to have most likely been caused by a machinery fault but has been logged as accidental.
Knottingley garage fire destroys a dozen cars
At the beginning of the week at least 12 cars were involved in a fire at a recovery garage in Knottingley.
The fire was reported in the early hours at 1.10am at Highway Recovery Ltd, on the A1 Business Park off Knottingley Road, near the A1.
Fire crews from Pontefract, Castleford, Featherstone, Garforth, Morley and other stations attended. A spokesman for the fire service said: “There were a dozen cars on the outside of the building, all of which were on fire and this spread to the building itself – there were also a number of vehicles inside the building but these were unaffected by the fire.”
Crews remained on the scene that day as the cause was still under investigation.
House fire: Smoke alarm saves five year old child from fire
Early on Saturday morning a 5 year old child was saved from a house fire because the family had a working fire alarm, the emergency services announced.
Fire crews from Newcastle Emlyn, Crymych and Cardigan attended the fire at Capel Iwan to find on arrival, the roof well alight.
A working smoke alarm woke the occupants and ensured their safe removal, including that of the five-year-old girl who was sleeping in the loft. If this alarm had not operated then then Watch Manager Emyr Jones said he was convinced that they would now be dealing with a tragedy.
This really goes to show how vital a working smoke alarm can be in saving lives. If you haven’t got one, please get one today or if you have one make sure you test it and it is working correctly.