Wiltshire leisure centre suffers smoke damage

Yesterday morning, up to 50 firefighters attended a blaze at a leisure centre in Wooton Basset, Wiltshire.

The fire is not being treated as suspicious, although the blaze at Lime Kiln leisure centre which began at around 10:30 on Saturday could not have happened at a worse time for the community, as the building was facing closure anyway.

Speaking on Saturday Wiltshire councillor for North Wootton Bassett Bill Roberts said:

“I found out the terrible news this morning.

“It’s a devastating blow considering we fought so hard to save the place four years ago and the current political situation at the moment.

“There were clouds of smoke billowing out of the building.

“It seemed like half of the Wiltshire Fire Service were in Wootton Bassett today.”

A number of homes in the area had to be evacuated at the time due to the threat posed by plumes of smoke which was seeping out of the complex.

Fire crews used 11 appliances in attempting to put out the fire and were supported by ambulance crews and other vehicles.

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Wiltshire, Simon Routh-Jones, said that tackling the fire was made more complex due to the architecture of the building.

He added:

“We have been able to knock down the main part of the fire and we’re now checking the rest of the building.

“The investigation team will be looking into how it started but we don’t believe it is suspicious at this stage.”