100 Christmas turkeys rescued from Gloucestershire barn fire
100 turkeys were rescued from a fire that broke out in a barn in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire at around 4.30am on 10th December.
It is thought that the fire was started by an electrical fault in the barn.
Fire station commander Dave Pike said that all turkeys were safely rescued from the fire but were still destined to be Christmas dinner. Mr Pike said: “I understand the birds had been readied for Christmas, and I don’t think this morning’s incident is really going to change that. They were corralled to a safe place elsewhere on the farm, and all are doing fine. But, as I understand it, they are still due to be slaughtered.”
Two fire appliances and 12 firefighters from Cinderford community fire station were sent to the scene and were later joined by additional crews.
The barn contained around 50 tons of hay, one tractor and one combine harvester which were all severely damaged in the incident. There were no casualties reported.
Plymouth shop damaged in arson attack
Police are searching for a gang of arsonists after a fire broke out at a shop in Plymouth on 26th November.
The fire started at around 7.30pm when a firework was used to set fire to a package in a store room of the Square Discount store in St Budeaux Square, Plymouth.
Crews from Camels Head, Crownhill and Greenbank attended the incident and spent several hours bringing the fire under control and damping down the blaze.
The ground floor of the shop was severely damaged by fire and smoke. The second floor was also damaged.
Detective constable Miles said that the owner of the shop is shocked by what has happened. He said: “He sells a range of items, like shampoo and hairspray as well as chemicals for the photo processing machine he uses. However, at this time of year he had a lot of wrapping paper, decorations and other Christmas stock which he’s now lost to the fire and smoke damage, so it’s really set him back at a time when he can ill afford it.”
An investigation is now being carried by the fire service and police.
Large blaze breaks out at North Berwick fire station
Around 40 firefighters have been tackling a large fire at the fire station in North Berwick.
The fire broke out at around 5am on Monday and was dealt with by crews from East Linton, Haddington, Dunbar, Newcraighall, Tranent, an Incident Support Unit from Marionville and a Command Support Unit from Liberton.
Lothian and Borders Fires and Rescue Service have confirmed that the building and two appliances which were inside the building at the time of the fire have been badly damaged.
Eye witness, Craig McLaren, said: “I arrived this morning at about 5.20am and saw smoke and thought someone was burning something. I went over to investigate and the fire station was on fire. By 5.30am, the station was in flames. When the flames broke through it was a blaze of fire probably about 50m above the roof, it was ferocious. My main worry was there could have been an explosion.”
Another eye witness who works at Castle Cottage Interiors across near to the station said: “I noticed something was wrong when I came to work at seven this morning. I panicked at first because I thought it was our workshop on fire. There were no flames but there was lots of smoke.”
A spokeswoman for the fire and rescue service said: “Firefighters are working very hard to bring the fire at North Berwick’s retained station under control. There is still heavy smoke coming from the blaze and police are in attendance to assist early morning commuters trying to access the train station, which is at the rear of the fire station.”
The spokeswoman added: “A risk assessment was carried out and as smoke was blowing towards the sea it was deemed safest to leave residents in a nearby housing estate indoors and clear from the worst of the smoke and the cold weather. Crews have been working very hard in difficult weather conditions to extinguish the blaze. Fire investigation is on the scene but it is too early to say what caused the fire.”
Arson suspected at Hampshire school
A school in Hampshire was evacuated on 7th November after a fire broke out in the roof.
Fire crews attended the incident at Clere Secondary School in Burghclere at around 2pm when a blaze was reported to have broken out in the roof of the sports hall.
Around 700 pupils were evacuated from the school. Access to the roof was hampered by solar panels. It was quickly decided that crews would use compressed air foam to fight the fire internally.
A structural engineer from Basingstoke & Deane Council attended the incident as fears grew that the roof may collapse. It is thought that around a fifth of the roof was damaged in the fire.
Senior fire officer Dave Graham said: “The school was brilliant at evacuating the children in good time and crews worked hard under challenging conditions, hindered by the solar panels, to keep the fire from entering the sports hall and stop what could have been 100 per cent damage to the property.”
Amanda Keable from the school said she at first thought that the smoke was coming from a nearby bonfire but soon realised it was a blaze on the school premises. Ms Keable said: “The children were fantastic in evacuating the building and crew have been brilliant in keeping us updated and working hard in hot conditions.”
Detectives investigating the cause of the fire have recently arrested four teenagers, and have charged a 15-year-old, from Newbury, with arson with intent. The suspect is due to appear at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court.
Two 14-year-old boys have been released on bail until December 24, pending further enquiries. A 15-year-old girl was also arrested in connection with the incident but was later released.
Fire breaks out at Cheshire recycling warehouse
A huge blaze broke out at a warehouse in Cheshire on the evening of 21st October.
Residents living near to the building were asked to keep their doors and windows closed due to the large amount of smoke coming from the building.
Firefighters arrived at the fire on Johnsons Lane in Widnes at around 9.35pm. Eight ground monitor jets and a hydraulic platform were also used.
The warehouse was used as a storage facility and contained recycling material. When firefighters had arrived the fire had already spread to other nearby buildings.
A spokesperson from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters are doing all they can to bring this difficult fire under control. They would like to thank the community for their patience, but they are also warning that the disruption caused is likely to continue for potentially the next few days.”
It is not yet known how the fire started but an investigation will be carried out.