Barn fire leads to fire service smoke warning
The fire service issued a warning to residents in a village close to Swanage, Dorset, last week, to ensure that their doors and windows were kept closed for a time, following a huge barn fire which was emitting quite a large volume of smoke.
Despite the advice given to wait for the smoke to clear, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service moved quickly to allay fears that there was also asbestos contamination to worry about.
Firefighters were called to the blaze at Coombe Farm at Coombe Hill, near Langton Matravers, around 6pm last Tuesday evening to find that the flames in the barn were reaching around nine metres in height.
The barn was destroyed in the fire, and as it was made from asbestos sheeting, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service issued the following statement through their spokesperson:
“It must be stressed that any asbestos released would be of an insignificant amount.
“It is advised that if you live within the vicinity of this incident, and you smell smoke outside your property, close all windows and doors, and remain inside.
“This is purely a precautionary measure.”
The barn fire eventually burned itself out, though the fire crews from Swanage and Poole remained at the scene during the night.
Boy survives house fire by hiding under kitchen table
A three year old boy has survived a serious house fire after curling up and hiding under a kitchen table.
Brendan Frederick was at his grandparent’s house in Coleman Fields, London when a fire broke out in the basement kitchen. Joseph and Mary Frederick evacuated the property safely with Brendan but he then ran back into the house.
Neighbour, Tony Shepherd tried to enter the building to rescue the child but the smoke was too thick. Mr Shepherd said: “I could hear him and shouted for him to come but he was too scared. Then I tried to smash down the front door and got the keys to unlock it but when I unlocked the door, the force of the fire pushed me backwards.”
Fire fighters found Brendan under a kitchen table. He was resuscitated in the ambulance and was taken to the Royal London Hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
An investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of the blaze although it is not thought to be suspicious.
Fire at Torquay refuse site
Fire fighters were called to a fire at a site in Torquay used by construction companies to dump building rubble and debris.
Motorists called the fire service at around 5.30pm on Friday after the smoke started to drift across the road causing travel chaos.
It is not the first time fire fighters have been called to the site. A spokesperson for Torquay Fire Station said “We have been up there half a dozen times and the fire service is now investigating the process there. We were there for four or five hours tying up resources on that piece of land. We are now taking steps to get the situation remedied.”
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Fire breaks out at Knowsley Road Stadium
Fire crews were called to Knowsley Road Stadium in Merseyside earlier this week after a serious fire was reported at the former home of St Helens Rugby League Football Club.
The fire is believed to have broken out in a ground floor section of the former Saints ground in Eccleston, St Helens, at around 11.30pm on Thursday (13th January). The cause of the fire is not yet known, but it caused a section of the stadium to sustain significant smoke damage.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police – which is currently investigating the incident – confirmed:
“We were called by the fire service to reports of a large fire at the stadium on Dunriding Lane.
“Fire crews attended and put out the fire, which appears to have started in a corridor, near to where there was a lot of rubbish.
“The fire service has secured the ground. We don’t know at this stage whether it is suspicious or if something else has happened.”
The stadium has been unoccupied for a short while now, whilst it awaits development from a firm wanting to build houses on the site. Before this happens, however, the owners of the site may want to review their fire risk assessment to prevent future incidents like this.