Officials have claimed an oil well in India has finally been extinguished, nearly six months after it started.
The fire in Assam, Northern India, was the result of an explosion in an oil field which killed two company employees in June.
There were complications in extinguishing the fire as huge amounts of gas began to come out of the well.
The blaze forced thousands of locals to flee the area, and many are yet to return due to the damage caused to their property.
Protests against oil field owner
A criminal investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the blowout. as well as the handling of the incident in the weeks after the explosion.
Protests against OIL are still held in the region but rarely evoke political outrage. Social media, though, has been abuzz with photographs and videos of the raging fire at the Baghjan oil well. The fire has caused massive loss to environment and wildlife besides causing huge losses to property in the nearby habitation, causing many more people to be displaced from their homes.
A committee set up by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has reported that the Baghjan oil well and 26 others were being operated illegally in Assam. The NGT is headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice AK Goel.
The body had set up a committee under former judge BP Katakey to look into Baghjan fire incident. The Katakey committee has found that these oil wells did not have mandatory environmental clearance.
The final report of the NGT committee is likely next month
Bureau Veritas is hosting a Fire Safety Awareness Week on 23 – 27 November, packed with initiatives and information relating to our fire safety services for organisations across all sectors.
Although there has been a downwards trend in the number of fires and fire casualties in recent years thanks to improved standards and safety awareness, there remains a risk from fire in UK buildings. Government figures show that there were 318 fire-related fatalities in Great Britain during 2018/19, including 215 deaths in domestic properties.
Our services span Building Control, Fire Engineering, Fire Risk Assessments and Fire Science, working with organisations to reduce risks and provide expert evaluation and management services in the event of fire.
The Fire Safety Awareness Week will include live webinars, new videos, a Q&A session with experts from the Bureau Veritas and a host of information across our website and social to support fire safety. We’ll also be showcasing some of our key projects, working with clients to deliver invaluable fire safety services.
Andy Lowe training and technical director for Bureau Veritas, said: “Fire safety is critical through all stages of building design, construction and operation, and safety awareness is the first step towards reduced risk.”
“We have planned a busy week of activities across webinars, social media and our website, linking back to our extensive range of fire safety services. There will be opportunities to learn from the Bureau Veritas team, ask questions and take in a wealth of advice and information, covering Building Control, Fire Risk Assessments, Fire Science, Fire Engineering and more.”
The Bureau Veritas Fire Safety Awareness Week includes:
Monday 23 November: Building Regulations day, including Approved Document B fire safety live webinar (register here)
Tuesday 24 November: Fire Engineering day, including new Behind the Project video
Wednesday 25 November: Fire Risk Assessment day, details on fire risk assessment safety and compliance and expert insight (register here)
Thursday 26 November: Fire Science day, including Safety at Christmas video and Fire Science Behind the Project profile
Friday 27 November: Building Safety Bill day, including Safety Regulator Golden Thread live webinar (register here)
Friday 27 November: Q&A session with Bureau Veritas experts (register here).
Keep an eye on our social media too for live updates and information across Twitter and LinkedIn.
Transformational change in the emergency services, driven by the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the fast pace of technical innovation being introduced to the sector, is set to be a major theme of The Emergency Services Show, which returns to Hall 5 and the outdoor area at the NEC, Birmingham from 27 to 28 April 2021.
“While it’s too early to fully assess the impacts of COVID on the emergency services, the pandemic has unquestionably been an unprecedented driver for change,” says ESS Event Director David Brown.
“The Emergency Services Show uniquely brings together the many and diverse ways in which emergency services, their partners and supply chain are adapting during the pandemic.
It’s the one place where you can see the latest equipment, explore innovative technologies, share experiences, exchange best practice and learn from each other.”
The show has launched a new feature: Future Policing, supported by an Advisory Council chaired by Lord Hogan-Howe, the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.
Showcasing the latest innovations available for the police sector and sponsored by Audax, Future Policing has the full backing of the Police Federation of England and Wales and will feature a two-day, CPD-accredited high-level conference with a line-up of senior speakers.
Health & Wellbeing is the exclusive focus of one of the show’s four dedicated CPD-accredited seminar theatres, alongside Lessons Learnt and Emerging Technologies.
The fourth seminar theatre due to be announced later this year will focus on one of the fastest growing areas of innovation in the emergency services sector.
Health & Wellbeing topics explored will include tackling historically neglected health and safety issues and the unique mental health challenges facing the emergency services working under COVID.
The Emerging Technologies seminar theatre will showcase how the emergency services can use data and technology more efficiently, including overcoming the organisational challenges presented by the pandemic.
The ever-popular College of Paramedics CPD seminars are also set to return with highly topical programme of 30-minute workshops.
Emergency Services Show will be free to attend
Free-to-attend, The Emergency Services Show features more than 450 exhibiting companies including leading names in search and rescue, extrication, training, protective clothing and uniforms, medical equipment, vehicles and fleet, vehicle equipment, outsourcing and safety.
New technology on display will include connected vehicles that serve as mobile communications hubs, satellite communications, ruggedised mobile computers, tablets and phones, data, cloud storage, wearable tech, connectivity, UAVs/drones, hybrid and electric vehicles, body-worn cameras and other video capture systems.
Among more than 50 organisations exhibiting for the first time in 2021 are Linkwave Technologies, Bullitt Group, Halo Technologies and BiTEA.
With COVID limiting opportunities for face-to-face training, Virtual Reality technology is also set to feature strongly, as is the use of other online technologies like Zoom and Microsoft Teams for training.
Enabling ICT applications being showcased include control room systems, data management, mobile apps for emergency service and public use and the multiple technologies now being used to speed and aid collaboration.
The Emergency Services Show 2021 will for the first time be co-located with The Fire Safety Event, The Health & Safety Event, The Security Event & The Facilities Event, creating the UK’s largest event dedicated to the protection of people, places and assets.
The Emergency Services Show is working closely with the NEC to ensure visitors enjoy a safe and secure visit, in line with the event industry’s All Secure Standard risk-assessment-based framework of COVID-19 secure industry best practice and guidance.
The NEC Venue Protect programme has put in place comprehensive social distancing measures and enhanced cleaning and sanitisation and supports testing and tracing.
To minimise contact and ensure smooth and efficient entry flows, all visitors are required to register in advance for free entry and free parking at: www.emergencyuk.com
The experiments are being conducted in two, identical, purpose-built residential structures constructed at the Delaware County (PA) Emergency Services Training Center. Each structure was designed to represent an approximately 1400 sq. ft. home with four bedroom, two baths, and an open-concept kitchen and living room.
A highlight of UL FSRI’s full-scale experiments is their Visitor’s Day, where fire service professionals usually gather from across the U.S. to witness the research in person and interact with the team. Unfortunately, the global pandemic has led to a change in plans. To comply with the UL COVID-19 Safety Playbook, the UL FSRI Visitor Day will now be virtual on Saturday, November 21 via YouTube.
The live-stream on YouTube will begin at approximately 10:00am EST and will run for roughly 90 minutes. The stream will be hosted by UL FSRI Research Engineers who will take viewers on a virtual tour of the test site, experimental structure, and instrumentation. Prior to ignition there will be an on-site safety briefing. The stream will then transition to a multi-view screen showing the interior and exterior cameras during a full-scale living room experiment. The host will provide a narrative of the actions taking place and viewers will have the opportunity to ask questions via the YouTube chat box.
The schedule for the day is subject to change depending on weather conditions. If there are any connection issues with the live-stream, the recording will be available after the experiment. The link to view the experiment will be posted the day of. Follow UL FSRI on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter for updates.
80 firefighters tackled a blaze in Cardiff on Sunday at a warehouse for a sports clothing company.
The fire out at an industrial unit on Seawall Road on and spread to other properties. It is claimed that the company, YC Sports, lost up to £2m in stock.
The blaze spread to a nearby warehouse used by Rhino Global, destroying stock.
The family-run business YC Sports supplies school uniform and sports kit, with stores in Cathays, Canton and Whitchurch.
Their other company, Rhino Global, is well known for the Rhino rugby brand, one of the world’s largest suppliers of rugby kit, balls and equipment, including tackle bags and scrummaging machines.
Fire started in tyres
Finance director Ye Wai Lim explained the fire started in tyres outside the neighbouring business Topline Tyres and then took out the whole block.
“It is difficult but we’ve been quite lucky,” Mr Lim said.
“We’ve been speaking to our suppliers and we’ll receive emergency deliveries in three to four weeks which will get us through maybe three months.
“Some items of stock are a bit more complicated.”
He said the company was also receiving support from insurers after the fire.
People were warned to stay indoors and close their windows, after the blaze broke out on Sunday evening, with pictures appearing on social media of the billowing flames.
Fire chiefs have voiced their concerns after 961 firefighters were attacked during the bonfire night period.
The stark warning comes from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) as Home Office statistics show attacks on firefighters rose from 578 to 961 between 2014/5 and 2018/9. And in the last year there were 897 attacks recorded,
In some areas of the country, firefighters can no longer attend some types of fires – unless they have a police escort. NFCC warns these can escalate quickly into large scale fires, putting properties and lives at risk.
Chris Lowther, Chair of NFCC’s Operations Committee and Chief Fire Officer for Tyne and Wear, has urged people to show respect to all emergency service workers. He has also called for the courts to hand out the maximum jail sentences available to send a clear message.
He confirmed in parts of Tyne and Wear firefighters cannot attend a secondary fire – a small outdoor fire or a fire on grassland or derelict buildings – without police in attendance.
He said: “It is disgraceful that firefighters are attacked when trying to protect the communities they serve; ultimately saving lives. I would like to see custodial sentences handed out as we need a deterrent which makes people think twice. Jail sentences for attacks on emergency services workers are very rare; this needs to change.
“Attacking firefighters is abhorrent; if one or two members of staff are injured on a shift, this can result in fire appliances having to be taken off the road while other staff are called in. This leaves communities at risk if there is a major incident.”
Some fire services have reported an increase in attacks of firefighters during COVID-19. Mr Lowther has said in his own service, there have been physical assaults, including missiles such as fireworks and bottles thrown at firefighters.
As well as stronger sentencing, NFCC would like to see body worn cameras made available to all firefighters, which would assist the courts by providing vital evidence.
NFCC Chair Roy Wilsher made it clear that chief fire officers in every UK fire and rescue service have responsibility for the health and well-being of all firefighters. “As part of their duty of care – which every chief fire officer takes very seriously – measures including technology which can help to protect them should be fully utilised. The purpose of these cameras is to record assaults and bring those attacking firefighters to justice.
“NFCC made it clear we are we are disgusted with emergency services being attacked and wanted to see the courts have legislation to give out longer jail sentences. This has now been increased from 12 to 24 months, but we now need to see stronger sentences imposed to send a clear message. Emergency services staff must be treated with the respect they deserve; blue light services are here to keep people safe.
“NFCC is issuing advice on how to hold safe displays at home, although this year we would urge people to find other ways to celebrate Bonfire Night.”
Mr Lowther added: “In my professional opinion, we are likely to see an increase in antisocial behaviour this year as people are not attending organised displays and may flout current COVID-19 laws. Due to restrictions, fire services have not been able to do their normal educational activities, which could also have an impact.”
Amazon fires have more than doubled in the last year according to the latest satellite data.
The Institute of Space Research said there were 17,326 fires in the Amazon, compared to 7,855 in October 2019.
Satellite data also suggests that there was a record number of fires in the Pantanal wetlands last month.
Campaigners say the government is failing to stop the rise in fires, but the government denies it is to blame.
In July, the government imposed a 120-day ban on setting fires and deployed the army to badly hit areas, but the latest figures from Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research (Inpe) suggest the measures have not curbed the blazes.
Data released by Inpe on Sunday suggests there were 2,856 fires in the Pantanal region in October, the biggest monthly figure since records began over 30 years ago.
President Jair Bolsonaro has not commented on the latest figures, but has previously dismissed data from Inpe as flawed. He has also said the criticism levelled against his government over the fires was “disproportionate”.
Amazon fire data ‘flawed’
While the figures for October – traditionally a month when rains bring some relief – are particularly alarming, those for the year so far are also worrying environmentalists.
According to Inpe, 93,485 fires have been recorded in the Amazon so far this year – 25% more than in the same period in 2019, when President Bolsonaro’s handling of the forest fires drew international condemnation.
Brazil’s Amazon region has been the hardest hit, with 46% of all blazes occurring there.
But environmentalists are also alarmed by the steep rise in fires in the Pantanal, one of the world’s most biodiverse areas and home to animals such as the jaguar and the capuchin monkey.
Mariana Napolitano, the head of the science programme at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Brazil, told the AFP news agency that despite the four-month government-imposed ban on lighting fires, some of the blazes appeared to be man-made.
“After deforesting the jungle, the offenders set fires to clean up the accumulated organic material… At the end of the month, with the arrival of the rains, the pace of the fires seems to be slowing down, but we can hardly depend on climate factors,” she warned.
“What happened in the dry season in the Amazon and Pantanal cannot be repeated,” she added.
Four people have been killed and 120 injured after a category 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Greece earlier today.
The Local authorities have also issued a tsunami warning and told residents to stay away from coast lines, although it is unclear the severity of the flooding.
Turkey’s Health Minister Fahrettin Altun released a statement through Twitter and claimed that “President (Erdogan) has given orders for all relevant government agencies to contribute to rescue efforts.”
We are deeply saddened by the news of today’s earthquake in the Aegean Sea that affected Izmir and some Greek islands as well. Our government has mobilized to assess the situation and implement rescue and recovery operations.
It is thought the epicenter of the earthquake was Turkey’s Izmir province, in the North of the country, where the rescue mission has already begun amid fears that the death toll could rise.
Both Turkey and Greece sit on fault lines and earthquakes are common within the region.
It’s a busy time of year for emergency services around the world, and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service have given their best Halloween safety tips this year.
This Halloween you may be celebrating in a different way but it’s still important to stay safe. Follow our simple Halloween safety tips to keep your little pumpkins safe.
Follow social distancing guidelines and remember, ‘hands, face, space’.
Keep all fancy dress costumes away from naked flames
Use LED candles in pumpkins – they don’t blow out and they are much safer
Check the labels on any fancy dress outfits you buy for fire resistance and a registered trademark
Remember, cheaper products are more likely to be counterfeit and could burn quickly if they caught fire
Burns and scalds last a lifetime. Remember if clothing does catch fire, stop, drop and roll until the fire is out
In an emergency cool any burns with large amounts of water and get urgent medical assistance
Follow social distancing guidelines and remember, ‘hands, face, space’.
Keep all fancy dress costumes away from naked flames
Use LED candles in pumpkins – they don’t blow out and they are much safer
Check the labels on any fancy dress outfits you buy for fire resistance and a registered trademark
Remember, cheaper products are more likely to be counterfeit and could burn quickly if they caught fire
Burns and scalds last a lifetime. Remember if clothing does catch fire, stop, drop and roll until the fire is out
In an emergency cool any burns with large amounts of water and get urgent medical assistance
Credit: Hampshire Fire and Rescue ServiceCredit: Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
Alternatives to trick or treating
This Halloween may be different but it doesn’t mean you can’t still have some family fun. Here are just a few ideas:
London Fire Brigade have confirmed that two people have died after a suspected gas explosion in West London earlier this afternoon.
The explosion took place in a shop in the Southall region of London, and the fire service rescued five others at the back of the property.
Station Commander Paul Morgan said: “Our crews have searched the property using specialist equipment including the use of a USAR dogs. We can confirm that sadly two people have died at the scene.
London Fire and Rescue have suspended work until tomorrow
“It has been a painstaking and protracted incident with firefighters working systematically to stabilise the building and search for people involved. Operations have been concluded for the evening and will restart in the morning.
Gas explosion caused substantial damage
“The explosion caused substantial damage to the shop and structural damage throughout.
“In the initial stages firefighters rescued four adults and one child were rescued at the rear of the property using a ladder. A further fourteen adults and two children self-evacuated from surrounding properties.”
The number of fatalities and casualties are so far unknown with the emergency services still attending. A total of six fire engines and 40 fire fighters tackled the blaze and work has been suspended until tomorrow morning.
The Metropolitan Police are not treating the incident as suspicious.
