100 tonnes of scrap metal burns in West Midlands fire
A fire which started on 20th August could continue to burn for several days.
Firefighters from across the West Midlands attended the fire at the ENR scrapyard in Nechells, Birmingham at around 7pm on 20th August. Over 100 tonnes of scrap metal went up in flames.
Jim Sinnett from West Midlands Fire Service said: “This is going to take some days maybe to be fully extinguished. But as long as we have got water in there and it doesn’t spread and cause any further damage we will be quite satisfied with that.”
An investigation into the cause of the fire will now be carried out.
Residents evacuated in tower block fire
Seven residents were rescued by firefighters after a huge fire ripped through a block of flats in Lewisham on the morning of 15th August.
Five women and two young children were rescued from the flats in Campshill Road. Fire control officers were needed to speak over the phone to residents still trapped in the building, telling them what they must do to stay safe whilst waiting to be rescued.
Four people jumped from the first floor of the building before the firefighters had arrived at the scene.
Several people were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and other injuries.
Ziggy Hurrion, from the London Fire Brigade said: “Seven lives were saved in the early hours of this morning due to the quick thinking actions of our staff. Both our control officers, who handled the 999 calls from those inside the flats, and the brave actions of our firefighters, ensured that five women and two children were safely rescued from the blaze. They were all heroes this morning. Ambulance crews and police officers also did a great job at what was undoubtedly a challenging incident for all who attended. Nine people were taken to hospital and fortunately, at this stage, we don’t believe anyone was seriously injured. I can’t praise the actions of our staff enough as this incident could easily have ended in tragedy.”
Much of the building was damaged in the fire and an investigation is now underway to find out how it started.
Fire alarm alerts mother to cooker fire
A mother has been praised by firefighters for her quick thinking after a fire broke out in her home.
Firefighters in Milton Keynes attended the incident which started when a toddler in the home turned the cooker on which then caused cooking oil inside the cooker to over heat and burn.
Two crews from Great Holm Fire Station attended the incident in Boycott Avenue, Oldbrook.
Crew Manager, Danny Moore said: “A toddler had managed to turn the cooker on, and a small fire started caused by food and cooking oil still in the oven. We turned up to find a heavily smoke-logged house, and the residents safely outside in the rear garden. The mother explained that she hadn’t smelled or seen any sign of the smoke. The activation of a smoke detector was the only thing that alerted her to the danger. It enabled her to turn off the cooker and evacuate the property with the toddler and an older girl, with no injury to any of them. I praised her actions, as they reinforced one of our key safety messages to people in the event of a house fire – get out, stay out and call 999. Once again, working smoke alarms have proved their value in alerting people to a fire in its early stages.”
Huge fire rips through Swindon scrapyard
Around 40 firefighters attended a huge fire at a scrapyard near Royal Wootton Bassett last week.
The fire broke out at Swindon Metal Solutions Ltd, in Thornhill on 5th July and raged for several hours.
Crews from Westlea, Swindon, Marlborough, Crickdale, Calne, Devizes, Stratton and Malmesbury attended the scene with additional support from water carriers from Royal Wootton Bassett and Ramsbury, an incident command vehicle from Stratton and an aerial appliance from Swindon.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have been dealing with a large fire at a scrapyard near Broad Town. Firefighters were called to Swindon Metal Solutions at 3.03pm and found a large quantity of scrap cars well alight. The fire has caused a significant plume of black smoke.”
Sara Dean, who was driving home at the time of the incident said: “I have driven down from past Cricklade and I could see it from there. It is a huge fire and I am hoping there are no gas canisters or petrol tanks that can go up and make it worse than it already is. From here you can see the flames and can hear the odd bang and crackle.”
Eye witness, Idris Lapham said: “The fire started a few hours ago, and the fire crews came quite quickly. It started small but has grown. I have never seen anything like this around here. We have not been told of any danger to us, they are just not letting anyone past this road at the moment. We have not been told of the cause but I think they may have been welding down there.”
It is not yet known how the fire started and an investigation will be carried out.
British shopping mall manager detained after 13 children die in Qatari fire
A British man has been detained by police in connection with a huge fire that killed 13 children in a Qatari mall last week.
Tzoulios Tzouliou, is the British manager of the Villaggio Mall in Doha. The fire killed all the toddlers in the Gympanzee Nursery and their four teachers. Two firefighters also died in the fire.
Mr Tzouliou is undergoing questioning about fire safety measures and evacuation plans and procedure in the shopping mall.
It is thought that security guards told shoppers that had been alerted by fire alarms that it was safe to return as flames tore through the building.
It is also reported that Firefighters were not immediately told about the first floor nursery.
Five others have been detained by police in relation to the incident. These include Iman al Kuwari, the Qatari owner of Gympanzee, and Rima Itani, Mr Tzouliou’s assistant manager.
Doha police said that Mr Tzouliou was not under arrest but was being “detained”.