Archived decisions

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Item

10 December 2003

Incidents of Interest September - December 2003

Report of the Chief Fire Officer

Contact:

Alan House - Deputy Chief Fire Officer

Tel: 023 8064 4000 Ext 205

12 September

Crews from Havant and Hayling Island were mobilised to deal with a particularly traumatic road traffic accident involving a fire with a person inside the vehicle. The body of a young male was released from the incident in Havant Road, Hayling Island.

19 September

Six pumps and an aerial ladder platform were required to deal with a fire in the roof of the Community Centre in Hook near Basingstoke. The fire was extinguished using 6 breathing apparatus, 1 jet and 2 hosereels with an aerial ladder platform being used to gain access to the roof.

28 September

The largest thatched roof fire of the year occurred in a Grade II listed building in East Dean Road, Lockerley near Romsey. Pumps were made up to 14 and at one stage 25 emergency appliances were at the scene. The T-shaped building measuring, 14 metres by 9 metres, and 4 metres by 3 metres, suffered severe fire damage to the roof and first floor with water damage to the ground floor. Firefighting crews carried out salvage work, removal of the thatch and used 5 jets, 4 hosereels and a total of 150 breathing apparatus.

11 October

A further fatal road traffic accident and vehicle fire occurred on the A34 road north of Whitchurch. It appears that a car was possibly in collision with a deer and subsequently with a stationary articulated lorry that was parked in a lay-by. Crews were detained a considerable time removing the body and assisting police at the scene.

11 October

A disaster was narrowly avoided when crews were called to a flat in Lydgate Road, Southampton early in the morning. A fire involving a chip pan was extinguished and two residents of the flat, who were in bed at the time, were led to safety by firefighters who forced an entry into the building. Unfortunately it was later identified that there was a smoke alarm in the premises but the battery had been removed. Early warning of the fire could have helped to mitigate the damage and reduce the possibility of injury or death of the occupants.

11 October

A fire in a large industrial unit in Funtley Road, Titchfield Park involving the building, a number of propane cylinders and 500 litres of diesel which caused a running fuel fire. Despite the attendance of 6 pumps, the building and diesel fuel were completely destroyed. A further spillage of 1000 litres of diesel was contained and cooled and fortunately no fuel entered water courses which had the potential to cause severe environmental problems.

12 October

A severe fire in a terraced house in Ascension Close, Basingstoke, attracted an attendance of 6 pumps. The fire was so intense that there was concern about spreading to adjacent properties which were checked for smoke logging. Three residents were taken to hospital for check-ups following the incident. The fire was brought under control using 2 jets, 3 hosereels and 24 breathing apparatus with positive pressure ventilation used to evacuate smoke from the property and improve conditions for firefighting.

16 October

Ten pumps and 2 aerial ladder platforms with numerous other special appliances were requested to a fire at the old NAAFI building in North Lane, Aldershot. The fire involved two inter-connecting buildings, 46 metres by 70 metres, and 33 metres by 34 metres. One building was severely involved in fire and the other was heavily smoke logged. A ground monitor, 7 jets, 2 aerial monitors and 12 breathing apparatus were used during the protracted operation.

20 October

Four pumps, a land rover and multi-role vehicle from HFRS were mobilised into Wiltshire to assist them to deal with a fire in a large thatched public house. The emergency catering team were also mobilised to provide feeding for all of the personnel at the scene on a cost recovery basis.

29 October

More than forty emergency calls were received in Fire Control to what was to be the largest fire for some considerable time. The warehouse occupied by Import Services UK Ltd in Tower Lane at Bishopstoke was well alight when the first crews arrived. Pumps were quickly made up to 10 then 15 and eventually 21 with a turntable ladder, two aerial ladder platforms and numerous other special appliances. The single-storey brick building measuring, 110 metres by 65 metres, with asbestos sheeting roof and most of the contents were completely destroyed by fire and total structural collapse.

The fire was brought under control using 3 monitors working from aerial appliances, one ground monitor and hand held jets. Firefighters were required to wear breathing apparatus even into the latter stages of the incident because of the thick black smoke which was generated. At the height of the fire there were reports that smoke could be seen from as far away as Portsmouth and the New Forest. Fire Control arranged for regular Chemet reports from the Meteorological Office to obtain plume predictions for the direction and travel distance of the smoke cloud.

Water was provided from hydrants and by water relays from the nearby River Itchen and the water was recycled to avoid unnecessary wastage. A medical adviser, together with representatives from the Environment Agency, Water, Gas and Electricity companies, Environmental Health Officers and Building Inspectors were all involved in the multi-agency on site team. Police played an important role in controlling the traffic whilst the Ambulance Service stood by at the scene.

The Incident Command Unit performed a vital role at the scene co-ordinating operations, monitoring appliance and officer movements and providing a communications centre and link to Fire Control. Live video footage from the Police aircraft `Boxer' was sent down to the vehicle to provide officers with an overview of the scene. The Contingency Planning room was set up at Service Headquarters to assist in communications links with other agencies.

Activities at Southampton Airport were affected as smoke drifted above the airfield and trains on the adjacent lines had to operate at reduced speeds.

The incident necessitated 112 mobilisations with a further 29 standby moves. A total of 268 operational firefighters, together with 34 officers and a very large number of support staff, attended the incident with the last reinspecting officer leaving the scene more than 100 hours after the initial call.

Appliances from all over Hampshire including Rushmoor, Portsmouth, Andover, Horndean and New Milton attended but unusually no appliances were requested from neighbouring counties on this occasion. The Emergency Catering team provided an invaluable service serving more than 500 meals throughout the operation.

2 November

Six pumps were required to deal with a fire in a Grade II listed residential dwelling at Runtens farm at Rotherwick. The two-storey building, 21 metres by 7 metres, of wattle and daub construction under a tiled roof suffered fire damage to 100% of the roof and 30% of the first floor. Three jets, 2 hosereels and 10 breathing apparatus were used during the firefighting operation.

9 November

Crews from Basingstoke fire station were mobilized to a fire involving a semi-detached house in Western Way, Basingstoke. The small fire had burnt itself out when the appliances arrived. The body of a female was located in the building and Police Scenes of Crime Officers are investigating the incident.

15 November

At 2233 hours, 3 Basingstoke crews, together with a SEU crew were mobilized to a fire with possible persons reported at a block of flats in Monarch Close, Hatch Warren, Basingstoke. On arrival they established a fire in a downstairs flat, one female fatality was located in the fire and removed. Subsequently another female was located and rescued by HFRS crews. This lady was suffering with smoke inhalation and taken to North Hampshire Hospital by ambulance.

Summer 2003

The most significant factor affecting the operational activity was the prolonged hot dry period of weather experienced throughout the summer months and into the early autumn. This brought about a large increase in the number of gorse, grass and heathland fires as mentioned in my September report. It is interesting to look at a comparison of the statistics for such incidents this year compared to the previous two years when the weather was not as hot and dry.

Month

2001

2002

2003

May

329

139

233

June

542

123

282

July

446

194

340

August

191

184

746

September

213

336

740

October

48

151

608

Totals

1769

1127

2949

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 and considered in the light of the Race Relations (amendment) Act 2000.

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

File ref: Secretarial/WP/word/Corporate/HFRA: HFRA 10 12 2003 Incidents PFCO/JMW/1/12/2003