Victorian mill destroyed in blaze
A huge fire broke out at a disused mill in Blackburn in Lancashire on 23rd October.
Five fire engines and an overhead crane joined the incident at the Apex Mill near Bold Street in Blackburn at around 7pm.
The intense blaze cause the roof of the Victorian building, which was used as a reed and heald making factory until 1933, to collapse.
Local roads around the building were closed off while crews tackled the fire.
One eye witness said: “We saw the smoke at first and thought there was a car on fire nearby. But a few minutes later, the roof went up. It all happened very quickly.”
There were no casualties reported in the incident and the cause of the fire is not yet known.
Candles start fire in Amersham flat
Fire crews attended an incident at a ground floor flat in Amersham after a fire broke out after tea-light candles were left to burn in a bedroom.
Two crews attended the fire in Grove Road at 6.30am on 9th October.
The fire started after several tea-light candles were left alight on top of a fridge freezer in a bedroom in the property.
The bedroom suffered around 20% fire damage and also severe smoke damage.
One man required treatment at the scene for the effects of smoke inhalation.
Watch Manager Sam Sansom said: “The candles had not been placed in holders and they burnt through the top of the fridge freezer. Three other tea-lights had also been placed directly on to a mantelpiece. Fortunately a working smoke alarm alerted the family of four and they were able to get out of the flat and call 999. More than five fires a day are started in the UK by candles, and the consequences can be tragic. It’s very important to make sure candles are kept well away from flammable objects and never left unattended.”
Scottish house fire numbers decrease but number of fatalities rises
Recent figures have shown that the number of house fires in Scotland has dropped to its lowest level in over 10 years. Sadly, although this figure has dropped, there has been a 10% rise in deaths.
Figures show that 57 people died in fires in 2011-12, compared with 52 in 2010-11. Around 45% of these fatal house fires were caused by matches and smoker materials and cooking appliances were responsible for 58% of all accidental house fires.
17% of these accidental house fires were thought to have been connected to drink or drugs.
A particularly shocking statistic is that in nearly 50% of house fires in 2010-11 there was either no smoke alarm, or the smoke alarm did not work.
Community safety minister, Roseanna Cunningham said: “It is thanks to the work of fire and rescue services – which I have seen fantastic examples of in schools, workplaces and communities – that house fires are continuing to decrease across Scotland and lives are being saved. It is a tragedy however that lives continue to be lost to fire every year. Every death is devastating and underlines that we all need to be on our guard against the risks. Once again, alcohol and/or drugs were suspected to have been a factor in at least one in six accidental house fires. Although other key figures in this publication indicate an improving awareness of the danger of fire in our homes, this underlines that a link remains between alcohol, drug use and fire. The most important message we can give is not to be complacent and always be on your guard. We also urge you to get a smoke alarm and check it regularly to ensure it is in working order.”
David McLetchie, Scottish Conservative community safety spokesman said: “The news that house fires in Scotland are at their lowest in a decade is a testament to the hard work of officers in raising awareness of fire prevention in Scotland’s communities. However, it’s of great concern that a greater percentage of fires in people’s homes are involving alcohol or drugs. Equally worrying is that fatality and casualty rates in Scotland remain considerably higher than the rest of the UK.”
English and Welsh statistics are not yet available for comparison.
Arrests made after 3 die in house fire
Three people have died in a house fire in Prestatyn in North Wales.
Lee-Anna Shiers, aged 20, was killed with her niece Skye Allen and nephew Bailey Allen when a fire broke out in their flat in Prestatyn.
Miss Shiers’ partner Liam Timbrell, and their baby son are being treated in hospital.
North Wales Police have arrested two tenants from the same building on suspicion of murder.
Firefighters tried to save the victims at the flat in Maes Y Groes, Prestatyn, at around 10pm on Friday 19th October.
A spokesperson for the Welsh Ambulance Service said that the survivors were taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital where they remain in a critical but stable condition.
Detective Superintendent John Chapman said: “My heart goes out to the family and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. We would appeal for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the Maes y Groes area of Prestatyn yesterday evening to get in contact as soon as possible by calling us on 101. We are deploying family liaison officers to work closely with the next of kin at this difficult time. There is a team of dedicated officers working on specific lines of inquiry in relation to this incident.”
Fire at Lincolnshire Recycling Centre
A large fire broke out at a recycling in Lincolnshire on 18th October.
The blaze broke out at MID UK’s Claythorpe recycling centre at around midnight and fire crews spent several hours at the scene.
The site is one of the largest in the UK and has the capacity to deal with around 80,000 tonnes of co-mingled dry recyclables (CDR) per annum.
Part of the building suffered extensive damage during the fire, and residents were advised to stay in their homes and keep windows and doors closed.
A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said: “Six appliances are still in attendance at a recycling factory fire in Caythorpe that started overnight. The fire has caused severe damage to machinery and recycling materials, but crews are making steady progress against it. Two main jets, two hose reels, and two BA in use as well as the high volume pump, hose layer and water carrier.”