Fire at Hexham’s Egger chipboard factory under control
A full scale investigation has been launched into a huge blaze at one of Northumberland’s biggest factories.
Sixty firefighters from across the North East tackled the blaze at the Egger UK wood-product plant in Hexham.
The blaze at Egger’s Hexham plant on the banks of the River Tyne began at about 22:30 BST on Sunday and at its height was attended by 60 firefighters.
Roads were closed and nearby care home residents evacuated as fire crews from seven stations in three counties tackled the incident.
The factory which makes wood products – mainly chipboard and MDF – employs about 500 people.
Huge plumes of black smoke could be seen rising from the site but residents were allowed to stay in their homes. No-one was injured.
Sheffield Ski Village: Fourth fire in a year breaks out
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said the service had received more than 120 calls about the latest blaze at Ski Village on Vale Road.
21 firefighters were at the scene, a spokesperson said a large wooden shed and outbuildings were alight.
The main building of the Ski Village was destroyed by fire on 29 April 2012.
That fire was ruled to be an accident but investigations showed two further fires on 1 May and 21 May were started deliberately.
Image courtesy of BBC news
Man suffers severe burns in car fire
A man was seriously injured in a car fire in Cassanos on 18th March.
Firefighters from March attended the incident on Abbeygate Court, near Cassanos at around 9pm. On arrival they found a man with severe burns lying next to the car
A spokesman for the police said: “The man was taken to Hinchingbrooke Hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries, and has since been moved to a burns unit at a hospital in East Grinstead, Sussex. We are carrying out a joint investigation with the fire service and are keeping an open mind as to how the fire started. Details are still very sketchy and we are keen to speak to the man who was injured.”
It is not known what caused the fire and an investigation will be carried out.
Serious injuries in Croydon Police Station explosion
Around 50 firefighters, three ambulances and an air ambulance helicopter attended an explosion at Croydon police station at 11.20am Tuesday March 20. Fire fighters from 10 crews fought for around 2 hours to prevent the fire spreading.
Tej Ajimal from the London Fire Brigade said: “Crews worked hard to bring the fire under control and managed to contain it to the basement area and stop it from spreading to the rest of the police station.”
Four contractors from Vinci Construction UK were working in the basement at the time of the blast. One of the men was airlifted to a specialist unit at the Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford suffering from severe burns and a second man was taken to St George’s Hospital with burns to his face and arms.
Several others received treatment for minor burns and smoke inhalation.
A spokesman for the police said that the explosion happened in the basement firing range which had been decommissioned during the current refurbishment.
A spokesman for Vinci Construction said: “Vinci Construction UK is gravely concerned about the welfare and safety of the construction workers and others affected by this incident and has been working with all emergency services throughout the day to secure the scene of the incident. We are working with the HSE in their ongoing investigation to understand the cause of the explosion.”
Chief Superintendent, Dave Musker said: “Seven people have been injured and five have been taken to hospital. While two are thought to be seriously injured. We want to reassure the public we continue to provide fully operational services to the community of Croydon. Our thoughts and wishes are with those injured.”
Health and Safety Executive are investigating the cause of the incident.
Police officers spot industrial estate fire
60 firefighters attended a huge fire in Hampshire after police spotted smoke coming from the Calmore Industrial Estate in Totton.
Crews fought the fire which started in a unit which operated as an industrial cleaner, using an aerial ladder platform.
Dan Tasker, from Hampshire fire service said: “Upon arrival I could see flames above the roof of the building. Firefighters gained access to the premises using specialist cutting equipment and crews ventilated the premises. The blaze was tackled using a combination of dowsing the flames from above… and traditional methods on the ground. Firefighters worked extremely hard to contain the fire to the unit of origin and did a sterling job in stopping the fire from spreading to the neighbouring two units.”
An investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out. Initial findings show that it may have been started deliberately.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that you:
‘must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed’
This means that all companies as a first point in their Fire Safety must complete a Fire Risk Assessment. This must be carried out by a competent person, who is trained to perform risk assessments.