Fire destroys house leaving family homeless
A fire that broke out in a Newton Abbot home has left a family with only the clothes they were wearing.
Samantha Fallon has lived in the property for 27 years but has now been temporarily re-housed in a Chudleigh bed and breakfast with her 3 children.
Samantha was not in the house at the time of the blaze, but her 18 year old daughter Chloe was inside watching the television. On discovering the fire, Chloe fled from the house and alerted the emergency services.
Firefighters from Newton Abbot, Ashburton and Torquay attended the fire at around 3pm on Monday.
The fire which is thought to have started by discarded smoking materials destroyed much of the property and its contents leaving the family with nothing but the clothes they were wearing at the time of the fire.
Samantha said: “Friends and neighbours have been very helpful and really kind and say that if there is anything they can do, they will do it. But we feel so far away from our home at the moment. It’s costing me a fortune in bus fares. I find it difficult to relax because I have so much to sort out. I have nothing — the clothes I am wearing today are the ones I was wearing on the day of the fire. We are not able to take clothes from the house because they were too badly damaged by the toxic fumes and smoke. I did not have contents insurance because I could not afford it.”
The family hope that they will be able to move back into the house and are in talks with the landlord to see if this is going to be possible.
Man engulfed in flames at allotment
A man has been burnt whilst working on his allotment in Goms Mill, London.
The 44 year old had been burning rubbish at the allotment and had used petrol to ignite the fire. As the man added more rubbish, the flames leapt out of the container and set fire to his clothing which had become soaked with petrol fumes.
Luckily his friend ran to help him by putting water and soil on him and rolling him on the ground to try and extinguish the flames.
The man suffered burns to his right hand, arm and his face and was taken to University Hospital of North Staffordshire.
Mick Daniel of Longton Fire Station said: “The safety message here is not to use accelerants to get fires going, as the fumes are invisible but still flammable. The man has suffered from burns and is now in hospital so we would urge anyone who does intend to burn items to do so in a controlled manner. They should also make sure the fire is a safe distance away from any property, hedges or flammable materials.”
Staff charged with arson after fire causes more than £500,000 worth of damage
A fire at a pub in North Wales has caused more than £500,000 worth of damage.
The fire broke out at The Running Hare in Ewloe early on 6th February.
Firefighters from Deeside and Buckley fire stations attended the blaze.
Head chef Clinton Stephen and assistant manager Christopher Drake who both work at the pub, have appeared at Flintshire Magistrates Court and have been charged with arson.
The pub is not expected to open again until later April.
Fire Warden Training – Leicester
Opened my eyes to the risks of fire something I’d never really thought about seriously, enjoyed the training and it has helped me immensely – Gavin Macdonald
Course was very indepth & made me aware of how quickly things can change & how responsible I am to implement procedures & techniques – Louise Lees
Very relevant to work & to home, more people should attend such courses, general public need awareness – Gill Evans
Brilliant, been before but still refreshed my mind, gave me more understanding of which slipped my mind – Simon Howkins
Well structured both visually and communicated, an eye opener in stages – Tony Hoyle
Hefty fine for Nottingham events organiser
A Nottingham event organiser has been fined £24,000 after failing to adhere to fire safety regulations.
Michael Snow, organiser of a Mansfield car boot fair pleaded guilty to eight breaches of fire safety regulations. Mr Snow appealed and had his fine reduced to around £12,000. He was also given a 6 month suspended sentence and ordered to carry out unpaid work in the community.
The case serves as a reminder that temporary events organisers are bound by the same rules as other business owners and are not exempt from complying with fire safety regulations.