Tuesday 23 September
16.56hrs
Southgate construction site, Henry Street,
Bath
Update 12.30hrs Wednesday 24 September
Following consultation with representatives from BOC, the two
remaining cylinders involved in yesterday's fire have been safely
removed from the site.
Fire crews have now left the scene and the site has been handed
back to its owners.
The cause of the fire has been found to be accidental.
08.00hrs Wednesday 24 September
A cordon around a building site in Bath has been reduced
following a fire involving cylinders.
Fire Control received the first call to the Southgate building
development at 16.56. Crews from Bath were immediately alerted,
with the first appliance on scene at 16.59. On arrival firefighters
were faced with a fire on the roof of the three storey building
which also involved a number of exploding cylinders. A total
of seven appliances were on scene at the height of the
incident.
Crews worked quickly to deploy water to the fire, rolling out
hoses throughout the building site to reach the roof. A turntable
ladder was also put to use delivering water to the fire from above.
Due to the swift action of firefighters the blaze was quickly
brought under control. Steps were then taken to cool the remaining
cylinders to avert the risk of further explosions at the site.
During the course of the incident a 150 metre exclusion zone was
set up around the area, which led to road closures and a number of
business and homes being evacuated. During the night three
appliances remained on scene working hard to deliver a large amount
of water in a bid to cool the cylinders. Those efforts were
successful in cooling the cylinders to the extent where the
exclusion zone could be reduced. Earlier this morning police began
lifting the road closures, leaving only the Southgate development
cordoned off.