17 women die in Philippines clothing store fire
A huge fire which broke out in a clothing store in the southern Philippines has left 17 employees dead.
All of the victims were women who were sleeping on the top floor of the building when the fire broke out at around 3.55am.
Three women managed to escape from the burning room but were initially unable to open the exit door as it was locked.
A hydraulic car jack was eventually used to pry open the doors, and the women managed to escape.
Police investigator Jonathan Basil said: “The women kept on pounding the hot steel gate while yelling for help.”
One woman who managed to escape from the fire was Mylene Tulo. Ms Tulo said: “We wanted to rouse others from sleep, but the fire was already too strong.”
It is not uncommon for employees in Philippine stores to sleep on the premises overnight especially those who live faraway.
8 teenagers arrested after Longton arson attack
Arrests have now been made after a major fire broke out at a warehouse in Longton.
A total of 8 teenagers aged 14 and 15 from Stoke-on-Trent were arrested in connection with the fire and have been questioned by police officers. Seven have been granted bail and one 14 year old is being held in custody.
The warehouse was destroyed in the blaze and the surrounding areas suffered severe disruption to roads and rail services.
Brian Griffiths, from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue, said: “This was a very severe fire and has destroyed the contents of the building, believed to have mainly been pottery lithographs. Following a joint fire and police investigation yesterday we are treating this fire as suspicious and the police have made some arrests in connection with this incident.”
Richard Cresswell who is the chairman of Longton Chamber of Trade believes that the building will continue to be the target of arson attacks. He said: “The fire was about 20 yards from our Calor gas depot, so the fire fighters had to force their way in to keep all the cylinders damp as a precaution. They had to do it, although the risk of explosion was minimal. That building has been empty for five or six years now and this is the second time it’s been set on fire. The last time was around 18 months ago. They should knock the thing down before it happens again. The fire was absolutely horrendous. There’s nothing for teenagers to do around here, so you will get some who will break into a building and see if they can get the fire brigade out.”
Residents evacuated from Dundee flats fire
A fire broke out in a block of flats in Dundee at around 10.30pm on 25th April.
Firefighters quickly evacuated around fifteen people from the flats in Garland Place. The fire spread quickly to the roof of the building but was eventually extinguished at around 6.30am the following morning.
Station manager Roy Dunsire said: “The building has been severely damaged by the fire – so much so that we have structural engineers in place to assess the structural integrity of the building.”
Two residents required treatment for smoke inhalation and a firefighter suffered a minor injury.
An investigation is underway to establish the cause of the blaze.
Family escape to roof after tumble drier catches fire
A family of 3 had to escape onto the roof of their home in East Sussex after a tumble drier caught fire.
Three crews from East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service attended the incident at the Royal Oak Inn, near Hastings at approximately 2.45am on Thursday morning. On arrival they found two adults and a child on the roof of the building.
The family were thankfully alerted to the fire quickly when the smoke alarms sounded.
A spokesperson for East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service told The Argus: “It was only a small fire in the tumble drier but three people had to be rescued from the roof. There was a lot of smoke in the building below so they couldn’t get down so they climbed onto the roof.”
No one was injured in the fire.
Trial opens for firefighters killed tackling warehouse fire
The trial has opened into the death of 4 firefighters who died in a warehouse fire. Prosecutors believe the men were sent into a highly dangerous situation for no good reason.
Warwickshire firemen Ashley Stephens, Darren Yates-Badley, John Averis and Ian Reid died when tackling a fire at a storage compartment containing cardboard boxes and old furniture.
Prosecutor, Mr Matthews told the jury: “It’s only about the needless loss of four lives, four individuals, lost as a result of having been sent into a situation where no one was in peril. Sent into what was and should have been recognised as an obviously dangerous situation, for no good reason.”
It is reported that water sprinklers in the warehouse had not been connected at the time of the fire.
The trial will last around 10 weeks.