Wednesday 22 October 2008 11.00hrs
The
Fire Investigation Report and statement from Deputy Chief Fire
Officer Jerry O'Brien on the Weston Pier fire are
released.
Monday 11 August 18.00hrs
Following an approach by local media, Avon
Fire & Rescue Service has confirmed reports that a fire
alarm activated in the Pavilion building at Weston-super-Mare’s
Grand Pier at 01.35am on Monday 28 July.
However, this information forms part of the ongoing Fire
Investigation and the cause of the fire remains unknown.
Monday 4 August 09.00hrs - incident
update
The investigation into the cause of this fire
remains ongoing.
Friday 1 August 08.30hrs - incident update
The investigation into the cause of this fire
remains ongoing.
Over the weekend crews will continue to visit the site every
few hours to check for hot spots as part of an agreement with the
owners.
Thursday 31 July 10.00hrs - incident
update
Firefighting operations have now finished at the scene (we continue
to monitor the site for hot spots). One pumping appliance and
crew remains at the site to provide assistance to the Fire
Investigation Team.
There is much speculation with regards to the cause of the
fire.
At present the investigation is ongoing and no information has been
released from Avon Fire & Rescue Service regarding the cause of
the fire - at this stage it is still unknown.
Fire investigations keep an open mind to all possibilities until
the final result can be confirmed.
Wednesday 30 July 15.30hrs - incident update
The specialist fire and rescue team has now completed a walkway to
enable Fire Investigators to gain access to the site of the
Pavilion fire.
The on-site fire investigation is now underway. At this stage we do
not know how long this investigation may take, it is likely to be
some weeks before a cause of the fire is known.
Wednesday 30 July 08.00hrs - incident update
One pumping appliance (fire engine) and crew from
Weston-super-Mare Fire Station remain on site this morning
dampening down, with one monitor jet remaining in place spraying
water onto the Pavilion area.
Specialist fire and rescue teams are on site creating a safe
walkway and working platform to allow Fire Investigation to
begin.
Tuesday 29 July 16.00hrs - incident update
Structural engineers have said that the supporting
infrastructure metalwork appears intact, with no obvious sign of it
being adversely affected.
However, the wooden flooring / decking has been severely
damaged in many places in the area of the Pavilion, which in
itself represents a hazard to anyone working on, or near, the site
of the fire.
The metal and other debris which formed the Pavilion
building is in places unstable and therefore represents a
potential hazard - which is why we are being careful
before allowing the Fire Investigation Team into the
area to start on-site operations.
Tuesday 29 July 08.00hrs - incident update
Two pumping appliances (fire engines) and crews remained on site
overnight on Monday - dampening down any remaining hot spots.
By 06.00hrs this morning fire and rescue service
attendance was scaled down to one pumping appliance and crew,
with two ground monitors applying water to the Pavilion site.
Avon's Urban Search & Rescue Team was called in to provide
lighting for the area overnight and will return this afternoon
to investigate whether they can establish a walkway to ensure
safe access to the site for investigators.
Monday 28 July 10.00hrs
06.46hrs Fire breaks out at the Grand Pier,
Weston-super-Mare
A serious fire has destroyed the pavilion at the end of
Weston-super-Mare's Grand Pier.
Avon's Fire Control based at Lansdown received numerous 999
calls reporting a fire in the West side of the pier - with the
first call being taken 06.46.
In a short space of time after that Fire Control dealt with more
than 65 emergency calls from members of the public and
assigned numerous appliances to the Grand Pier.
The initial attendance was from engines based at Weston-super-Mare
Fire Station who were on site within minutes.
After using bolt croppers and an angle grinder to gain access
thorough metal shutters at the entrance to the Grand Pier, the
crews were greatly assisted by two members of pier staff who
helped ferry equipment along its length and moved cylinders out of
the building.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary were in attendance rapidly and also
provided resources to help move equipment along the pier to the
scene of the fire.
As many will have seen, first images of the fire show
flames from the North West tower of the pier. We are working
on the premise that, at that early stage, the fire was already well
developed internally and involved large portions of the
pavilion.
The North West tower appears to be where the fire first began to
vent, when it was noticed by members of the public.
As a result of the extent of the fire, the first crews on scene
were faced with intense radiated heat which had been generated
within the building - we estimate it was burning at around 1,000
degrees.
This was the area where the first firefighters on scene carried out
the most difficult, hot and dangerous work - putting in place hoses
and jets to prevent the fire from spreading down the length of the
pier.
In total 13 fire engines, a number of special appliances, and
more than 85 firefighters and officers were in attendance at
the height of the operation.
Due to the severity of the fire, crews fought the flames from a
distance using water jets and set up fixed ground
monitors which were left to deploy water onto the fire.
During the course of the operation AF&RS's recently
launched hovercraft was mobilised. The crew made constant
assessments of the pier's structure, to ensure the safety of
firefighters working above.
An investigation has started into the cause of the fire, which
is unknown at this stage.
The image to the right, taken by Mrs Heather Bird, shows the plume
of smoke rising above Weston. Many thanks to Heather Bird
for a selection of the photos shown here.
At the height of the blaze (Photos: Heather
Bird)
Smoke could be seen from South Wales (Photo: Heather
Bird) Firefighters tackle the blaze (Photo: Heather Bird)
Part of Weston's history is
destroyed Debris
starts to wash up on
shore
AF&RS's Hovercraft played a vital role in checking the
safety of the pier's structure whilst firefighters worked above
AF&RS appliances and firefighters at the entrance to the
pier