Norfolk Food factory destroyed in blaze
50 firefighters were called to attend a huge fire which destroyed a food factory in Norfolk on the 9th November.
The blaze broke out at Broadland Hams on the Sweet Briar Road Industrial Estate at around 2pm on Wednesday.
Pumps from Earlham, Sprowston, Carrow, Hethersett, Wroxham, Long Stratton, Wymondham, Aylsham, and Attleborough plus the aerial ladder platform from Great Yarmouth were at the scene.
Richard Herrell from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Services said: “The fire is very difficult to extinguish because the roof is constructed of sandwich panels of polystyrene, a highly combustible material associated with firefighters’ deaths in the past.”
Mr Herrel said that they had to ensure the fire did not spread to the factory’s refrigeration site as it contained highly explosive gases.
Louise Hall, who works at an office block nearby said: “We are looking at it through our window. It seems to be getting worse and there’s thick black smoke coming out of it. The whole side of the building seems to be on fire, and it’s bellowing out flames.”
Everyone was evacuated safely but one member of staff was treated for smoke inhalation.
Elderly woman escapes home after ‘wheat bag’ fire
An 80-year-old woman was forced to flee her home after a hot wheat bag she was using to keep warm, burst into flames.
The lady called the fire service to her home in Cleethorpes at around 2.30am on 19th October after she was woken by her smoke alarm and saw smoke billowing from the wheat bag.
Watch manager Ken Mawer who attended the fire said: “The lady had gone to bed at 10.30pm so the bag had been smouldering for some time. At some point it had fallen to the floor and caught fire. Thankfully there was a working smoke alarm in the property which alerted her to the fire. There is no doubt that if the house had not been fitted with a smoke alarm the outcome could have been a very different one.”
Mr Mawer added: “I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the manufacturer’s instructions before using a wheat bag. I urge people to be extra careful, never wrap them up in other fabrics as this can cause them to overheat and catch fire.”
The bag is a type of pillow filled with wheat which is heated in the microwave and will remain warm for a few hours. In this incident, the wheat had overheated and started to smoulder inside the pillow.
The woman, who does not want to be named, said: “It was all right for a while and I fell asleep. The next thing I knew there was a lot of thick, dark smoke filling the room. It was enough to set my fire alarm off. I tried to keep calm but it wasn’t very pleasant. I am the sort of person that hates bothering anyone and I thought of my poor son who would have to come out. I didn’t have a choice but to ring the fire brigade. It has given me a wake up call. You just don’t expect that sort of thing to happen but the fireman told me it has happened before. I will definitely be sticking to my bed socks from now on. I am just grateful I had a working fire alarm. I don’t like to think what could have happened.”
The lady was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but did not require hospital treatment.
In 2010 there were three deaths in the UK caused by overheated wheat bags. Surrey and Sussex Fire and Rescue Service filmed a warning video earlier this year, on the dangers of incorrect use of wheat bags.
Faulty freezer could be cause of London house fire deaths
A house fire that killed a mother and her five children is believed to have been caused by a freezer.
Muna Elmufatish, 41, daughters Hanin Kua, 14, Basma, 13, and nine year old Amal, and brothers Mustafa, five, and Yehya, two, died in the blaze at their home in north-west London on Saturday. The children’s father, Bassam Kua, 51, and 16-year-old sister, Nur, escaped the flames but remain in hospital in a serious condition.
London Fire Brigade report that the chest freezer stored in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, was most likely to have started the blaze. The fire is London’s worst house fire in more than a decade.
London Fire Brigade said: “Six people died and two people were seriously injured in a blaze that started in the early hours of Saturday morning in a two-storey semi-detached house in Neasden. Fire investigators believe that a chest freezer, which was in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, may have caused the fire. The make of the chest freezer is not known at this stage.”
Investigations continue to determine the exact cause of the fire which police do not believe was suspicious.
80 firefighters called to tower block blaze
80 firefighters attended a fire at Markham Tower, in Bowers Avenue, Mile Cross on Monday 26th September.
Brenda Arthur, Norwich City Council leader said: “We would like to thank our staff and all our tenants for remaining calm and carrying out our evacuation procedure to the letter. It’s a tribute to everyone involved that no-one was hurt. We understand this is an upsetting time for all those affected by the fire. Some of our tenants have already indicated they would like to stay with family and friends while repairs are carried out. We will work out the best form of accommodation for those who can’t call on relatives so that everyone can be looked after properly until they can get back to their homes.”
The city council has confirmed that one flat is badly damaged by fire and 10 flats have suffered severe water damage. There appears to be no serious structural damage, and only minimal smoke damage to rest of the property.
The fire is thought to have started in an eighth floor flat although the person living in the flat was not at home at the time.
Stuart Horth, incident commander from Norfolk Fire Rescue Service, said the fire was put out within 10 minutes just as it was starting to spread to floor above. He praised the work of the fire crews and also the swift actions of the people living in the building who evacuated the building before emergency services arrived and helped avert a more serious situation.
David Freeman, witness the fire. He said: “We heard shouting telling us to get out and when we did we saw smoke and within five minutes the window had blown out. We could see a few flames out the bottom of the window at first but within a few minutes they were huge and the whole flat was obviously engulfed. It was terrifying and we were all worried in case anyone was in there. It was panic, really.”
Dozens of firefighters called to Buckie blaze
Dozens of firefighters were called out to tackle a blaze at a disused supermarket in Buckie.
Grampian Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident at Haldanes in Newlands Lane in the Moray town at about 7:00am on 14th September.
A local businessman who witnesses the fire, Steve Thornton said: “I live on the outskirts of Buckie and I could see the smoke. It looked like it was coming from my shop and I started to panic. However it was the shop 100 yards down the road. There were fire engines and ambulances. There was a lot of smoke, and quite a big bang. It was quite dramatic.”
There were no casualties reported and the fire was under control by the early afternoon. An investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out.