Fire destroys Lotus hospitality unit
The Lotus hospitality unit at the Malaysian Grand Prix has been destroyed in a fire.
It is thought that the fire started due to a faulty fridge fuse.
The entire catering, PR and marketing departments have been affected, as well as the drivers’ rooms. It is thought that the race suits and boots belonging to Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean were saved!
Stephane Samson who is head of team marketing and communications said: “There was a fire in the hospitality unit due to the failure of a fridge fuse, with the whole hospitality and kitchen destroyed. Thankfully a security guard was able to save the drivers’ race suits which are currently being dry cleaned as they were affected by smoke. They were a bit smelly. Everything else has been lost – a couple of laptops, along with everything required to carry out our marketing and PR this weekend. The comms team are maybe going to try to work in the media centre, certainly for this morning at least.”
The Mercedes’ and Ferrari hospitality units were also affected by smoke.
North Wales Fire Service warns of danger of careless smoking
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service have highlighted the dangers of carelessly discarded smoking materials.
The warning follows two smoking related fires within the space of a few hours in Denbighshire.
Firefighters attended a fire at a house in Llangollen on 27th March at around 6.30am after a resident smelt smoke coming from a lodger’s room. The fire had been caused by smoking material being discarded in a waste paper basket.
Firefighters also attended a fire caused in the same way at a semi detached property in Rhyl on the same day.
Gwyn Jones, Community Safety Manager for Conwy and Denbighshire said: “These incidents clearly highlight the dangers of not extinguishing cigarettes properly in suitable containers. It is vital to make sure all smoking materials are put out safely, especially before bed time. The best way to cut the risk is not to smoke indoors at all. Many smoking related fires happen at night when people fall asleep or smoke in bed and furniture or fabrics are set alight. Worryingly, research shows that smokers are less likely than non-smokers to have working smoke alarms which could alert them to the dangers and give the chance of escape.”
Elderly couple lose everything in flat fire
An elderly couple have lost everything they own in a fire that broke out in their home.
The fire broke out in the flat in Hungerdown Lane, Chippenham on 26th March. Several other properties were affected in the fire.
Witness, Sue Maslen, who lives nearby said: “There were billows of smoke coming out from the rafters and tiles of the roof. I went to pick up my daughters, and it was all normal, and when I came back there was smoke everywhere. I ran to close the windows because my youngest has asthma.”
Her ten-year-old daughter Angel added: “There was so much smoke everywhere, you couldn’t see much.”
A spokesperson for the fire service said: “The service was called to a fire in a flat in Hungerdown Lane, near the junction with Southmead, at 2.53pm today. The roof and first floor of the building are affected, and part of the roof has collapsed. Five crews – two from Chippenham, and one each from Corsham, Calne and Melksham – are fighting the fire, supported by an aerial appliance from Bath and an incident command vehicle from Stratton. The British Red Cross fire and emergency support service is also in attendance.”
An investigation into the cause of the blaze will now be carried out.
Elderly woman escapes house fire thanks to smoke alarms
Firefighters are stressing the importance of having working smoke alarms at home after an elderly woman escaped from a fire at her home last week.
The fire is thought to have started when a spark from a log burner set a wicker basket alight.
Fire crews from Deeside, Mold and Ruthin were called to a fire near Llanarmon yn Ial in North Wales at around 12.15pm on Friday 9th March.
Andy Robb from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were able to advise the occupier to make her way safely out of the property and she received treatment for mild smoke inhalation at the scene. The fire started in a wicker basket positioned near a log burner. A spark had ignited paper and logs in the basket. We would strongly advise against placing wicker items near a heat source – although they look decorative they can easily overheat or catch a spark and ignite. The combination of a working smoke alarm and a link to outside assistance undoubtedly saved this lady’s life and enabled us to arrive in time to prevent substantial damage to the property. The smoke alarms at the property had been fitted by staff from our fire and rescue service during a previous home safety check.”
Huge blaze at Hampshire industrial estate
100 firefighters from across Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey attended a huge fire at an industrial estate in Hampshire on the 1st December.
The fire broke out in a warehouse in Beesemer Road, Basingstoke in the early hours of the morning. Several gas cylinders exploded in the fire.
Steve Trevethick from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “On arrival, the initial crews were faced with a fully developed fire in the light industrial block which was rapidly spreading from the front to the back of the building and across to other industrial units, with a large amount of smoke issuing. The building had partially collapsed. There were also several large explosions involving LPG cylinders. Due to the swift, co-ordinated approach of crews we were able to prevent the fire spreading to further adjoining units and businesses and contained the fire within 50 per cent of the industrial unit that was ablaze.”
A large section of the building collapsed during the fire. Local residents were instructed to stay away and keep their doors and windows closed due to the thick smoke.
An investigation will be carried out to determine how the fire started.
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. Your Fire Training needs, your fire extinguisher needs and any other fire safety related issues you will need to address will be highlighted from the Fire Risk Assessment.
Our team of experienced and qualified Fire Risk Assessors will perform a full Fire Risk Assessment of your premises, and provide you with a comprehensive document detailing the risks found and recommendations to minimise the risks.