Firefighters tackle major blaze at timber framed construction13 September 2010Around 100 firefighters worked through the night to extinguish a serious fire at a construction site on Friday.
Crews were called just after 6pm to tackle the blaze at a timber framed building in Basingstoke. It took around 16 hours for Hampshire Fire and Rescue crews to extinguish the flames in the four-storey block. Crews, using three water carriers, specialist equipment unit, two aerial ladder platforms and a multi-role vehicle were still dampening down hotspots on Saturday morning. The building, which measured approximately 75m by 70m, was reported to have been “100% severely damaged by fire”. Two tower cranes and assorted builders’ vehicles were also damaged by fire and around 50 surrounding dwellings and a nearby college building were affected by smoke and heat. A joint investigation is now underway with fire investigation officers and the police to establish the cause of the blaze. The incident prompted Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service chief officer, John Bonney, who is also president of the Chief Fire Officers Association, to issue a warning about the danger of timber framed buildings. Mr Bonney said: "This incident has once again highlighted just how potentially dangerous the threat of fire can be in timber framed buildings whilst they are under construction. When timber framed buildings catch fire the actual structure burns. It often leads to total collapse and that puts the safety of our firefighters at risk. “The potential for fire spread was clearly of major concern at this incident, and shows that the Chief Fire Officers' Association is right to be increasingly worried about the number and severity of fires in timber framed buildings under construction.” A report with recommendations by the London Assembly on the safety of timber framed constructions is due to be published later this year. It follows a number of high profile fires involving similar structures and high rise buildings.    |
