Archived decisions

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Item

5 December 2001

Incidents of Interest: September - November 2001

Report of the Chief Fire Officer

Contact:

Alan House, Deputy Chief Fire Officer

Tel: 023 8064 4000 Ext 210

14 September

A fire at Elephant Boatyard, Lands End Road, Bursledon was attended by 6 pumping appliances and numerous special appliances. The fire involved a warehouse and workshop approximately 30 metres by 20 metres containing acetylene cylinders. Crews were detained in excess of 8 hours whilst the fire was brought under control and the cylinders cooled sufficiently to be rendered safe. It is interesting to note that the latest national guidance for dealing with acetylene cylinder fires suggests that consideration should be given to cooling for 24 hours and providing a hazard exclusion zone of 200 metres. The ramifications of this advice when dealing with acetylene cylinder fires in built up areas are causing considerable concern and discussion through the British Fire Service.

18 September

Crews from Alton and Basingstoke were called to a serious road traffic accident on the A31 near Holybourne. It appeared that one car had crossed the central reservation colliding with a car travelling in the other direction. One person was released from one of the vehicles by HFRS crews and taken to hospital. Two bodies were removed from the other vehicle that was severely damaged by the impact and burnt out. The incident was extremely traumatic for the attending crews.

19 September

Following the fatal accident the previous day a further serious road traffic accident occurred near to the Wellington monument on the A33 at Heckfield. Crews from Hartley Wintney and Yateley were assisted by a crew from Reading (Berkshire). One person died in the accident and the vehicle was badly damaged in the ensuing fire.

28 September

The Service received a call to an industrial unit fire at Combined Composite Technology, Brickfield Lane, Chandler's Ford. Responding crews quickly asked for assistance requesting 6 pumps, an aerial ladder platform and special equipment unit. The fire involved the centre section of a 40 metre by 40-metre building and was brought under control using 3 jets and 22 breathing apparatus. The aerial ladder platform proved useful to overview the incident from above to check for fire spread.

29 September

Crews were mobilised to Duncan Road, Southsea to assist at an incident where it appeared that a flammable substance had been poured over a male person and then set alight. The person suffered extensive burns and was removed to the hospital burns unit. Crews assisted by providing cooling water and a nurse who lived nearby applied clingflim to his injuries before the arrival of the ambulance.

12 October

A crew from Petersfield was called to a house fire a Buriton Farm, Treyford in West Sussex. Unfortunately the call received by West Sussex control was extremely vague being made by mobile telephone by a walker on the South Downs Way who came across the fire. Hence the response times were longer than normal and on arrival the body of a female was located in a serious house fire.

October

Throughout October the Service have received numerous calls to suspect packages/white power spills/anthrax scares. On one particular day we attended 3 simultaneous incidents of this type all of which turned out to be false alarms. The Service has liaised extensively with the Police in the County to ensure a co-ordinated response is made to any future calls and national advice is also being sought.

26 October

Numerous calls were received to a fire in Ministry of Defence property at Lindford Road, Bordon. A total of 8 pumps and 5 special appliances attended. The incident involved a `T' shaped building, 38 metres by 20 metres, with a close boarded and pitched roof. The fire was extinguished using 4 jets, 1 hosereel and 16 breathing apparatus.

29 October

A fire in a paper manufacturing plant at Portals Paper Mill, Hannington Road, Overton, required 6 pumps and special appliances to control. The fire was in a building 400 metres by 50 metres of one and two floors. It was confined to ducting in the rag separation line and a baler. The rags are used in the production of bank note paper. Although the fire was not extensive it was extremely labour intensive with crews being detained in excess of four hours dismantling more than 150 feet of trunking to gain access to the burning material.

31 October

A call was received to a fire involving a thatched property at Post Box Cottage, Blissford, Frogham, near Fordingbridge. On arrival of the first pumps mobilised the roof was well alight and they made pumps 5 and eventually 6 were sent. At 1611 hours secure speech was requested on the radio and Control were informed that there had been a roof collapse with 3 firefighters being injured. The men were removed from the building and given oxygen therapy by their colleagues. All 3 were taken to Salisbury Hospital by ambulance and detailed overnight. I am pleased to report that 2 were released the next day having sustained fairly minor burns to their faces and necks. The main concern for hospital staff was the third firefighter who sustained burns and inhaled hot smoke. He was detained for a second night because of concern that his lungs might have been damaged.

Crews were detailed throughout the night damping down and turning over the remains of the thatch and the building was severely damaged by fire.

It is interesting to note that only one emergency call was received from this small hamlet to a severe and very visible roof fire while at the same time a small and fairly insignificant fire in Burges Road, Southampton, generated 27 emergency calls in the space of a few minutes.

2 November

Crews were mobilised to a serious house fire at Belle View Road, Aldershot. On arrival they asked for further assistance as persons were still trapped inside the building. The fire was extinguished using 1 jet, 2 hosereels and 4 breathing apparatus. The body of a femal fatality was located in the property and an elderly lady and two children were rescued by fire service personnel. Unfortunately the elderly female has subsequently died in hospital. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Police and Fire Service.

5 November

A call was received reporting a fire on the ground floor of a house at Lynn Road, Portsmouth with the male occupier, his wife and baby in an upstairs bedroom. The Control Room operator did an excellent job by obtaining the exact location of the residents and guiding responding crews to the actual room. She offered fire survival advice telling the occupiers to close doors between themselves and the fire and place bedding at the base of the door to prevent smoke entering. She also suggested that they opened a window to allow air to enter and to get down near the floor where there would be fresh air. This helped to ensure what turned out to be a fairly small fire was brought under control without injury to the residents.

9 November

Ridgeway Farm, Kingsclere Road, Near Cole Henley, the Service were called to a road traffic accident and on arrival established that there was one private car off the highway well alight with one person in the car believed fatal. The fire was quickly extinguished and crews left the scene in the hands of the Police and had to return later in the day when the body was recovered.

European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998

The proposals within this report are compatible with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.

Recommendation

That the report be noted

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose the facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of the report.

None

NB The list excludes:

1 Published works

2 Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

Dir-fin HFRA 5 12 01 Incidents JMW/12/11/01