Fire reported at Bournemouth beachfront

by Active

A large fire broke out at Bournemouth beach yesterday (Mon, 20th July) in front of hundreds of sunbathers – supposedly started by cooking, emergency services have said.

An unidentified beachgoer was cooking in one of the many beach huts that line West Undercliff promenade “accidentally” started the fire at 3.50pm, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

Two other beach huts caught fire and sent smoke billowing up the cliff face, with the flames spreading to 330sq ft of scrubland above the beach, the service added.

Hundreds of people watched as eight fire engines tackled the blaze – Dorset Police cordoned off the area and warned people to stay away.

Man suspected of arson after fire at Nantes Cathedral, France

by Active

A volunteer detained for questioning over a fire at the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral in Nantes has been released without charge. The 39-year-old man was arrested in connection with a fire in the 15th-century cathedral that blew out stained glass windows and destroyed the grand organ.

The man, a Rwandan refugee, worked as a volunteer for the cathedral and had been in charge of locking up the building on Friday night, TV channel LCI reported on Sunday, citing a prosecutor.

Prosecutor Pierre Sennes said the man in custody was being held to clear up inconsistencies in his schedule.

He said three fires were reported at the site and there had been no signs of a break-in. Authorities said an investigation for suspected arson had been opened.

The blaze began on Saturday morning, engulfing the inside of the Gothic structure in flames.

The fire destroyed stained glass windows and the 17th-century grand organ – a star attraction of the cathedral.

Firefighters brought it under control after several hours and extinguished it completely by the afternoon.

It happened about a year after a fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris which destroyed its roof and main spire.

The building was last hit by fire in 1972 and its roof took more than 13 years to repair.

Regional fire chief Laurent Ferlay said on Saturday the damage was not comparable to the 1972 blaze, or to last year’s devastating blaze at the Notre-Dame cathedral.

Much of Notre-Dame’s roof and the wooden structure was destroyed, its steeple collapsed and fumes containing toxic molten lead billowed into the air.

Fire at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility reportedly causes significant damage

by Middle East - Featured News Archives

A fire that broke out at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility last week caused significant damage that could slow the development of advanced centrifuges, an Iranian nuclear official said on Sunday 5th July.

No one was hurt in the mysterious blaze last Thursday at the site, said Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation.

Iran’s top security body said on Friday the cause of the fire at the facility had been determined and would be announced later, however, specific details have yet to be released.

Some Iranian officials reportedly said it may have been caused by cyber-sabotage and one warned Tehran would retaliate against any country carrying out such attacks.

“The incident could slow down the development and production of advanced centrifuges in the medium term,” Kamalvandi was quoted as saying by Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

“Iran will replace the damaged building with a bigger one that has more advanced equipment. The incident has caused significant damage, but there were no casualties.”

An article by IRNA last week addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United States, although it stopped short of accusing either directly.

In 2010, the Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to have been developed by the US and Israel, was discovered after it was used to attack Natanz.

Israel’s defence minister said on Sunday it was not “necessarily” behind every mysterious incident in Iran.

The Natanz uranium-enrichment site, much of which is underground, is one of several Iranian facilities monitored by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog.

The IAEA said on Friday the location of the fire did not contain nuclear materials and none of its inspectors was present at the time.

London Fire Brigade warns of potential spike in fires as pubs re-open to public

by Safety

The London Fire Brigade is warning of a possible spike in fires due to concerns that people may drink to excess as pubs, bars and restaurants open their doors to the public for the first time in three months.

Since the lockdown, the amount of fires where alcohol was cited as an impairment has dropped by a quarter. While cooking remains a leading cause of alcohol-related fires, there has been a 37% reduction in the number of fires caused by cooking under the influence, which the Brigade believes could be attributed to the closure of London’s pubs.

With around one-in-three people who died in a fire last year having alcohol in their system, there’s a concern that the long-awaited re-opening of pubs could result in a sudden surge in devastating fires.

Even at the best of times, cooking can be hard to manage and when someone has been drinking alcohol, the risk of having an accident increases as a person’s co-ordination decreases.

Paul Jennings, the London Fire Brigade’s assistant commissioner for fire safety, said: “As the lockdown eases, we understand that people are excited for the re-opening of pubs, bars and restaurants after months of closure, but we urge them to drink responsibly. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can seriously impair someone’s judgements and can put them at a very real risk of having an accident. With more fires likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in the home, it’s best for people to stay away from cooking if they’ve had a few drinks.”

The NHS has stated that, after drinking just four-to-six units of alcohol (ie the equivalent of around just two standard glasses of wine), the part of a person’s brain associated with judgement and decision-making is affected, resulting in more reckless behaviour and affecting their reaction time.

Seven coronavirus patients die in Alexandria hospital fire, Egypt

by Middle East - Featured News Archives

At least seven people have died after a fire broke out in an intensive care unit in an Egyptian hospital. The fire was in the coronavirus ward of a private hospital in Alexandria.

The source of the fire is thought to be an electric short-circuit in the air conditioning unit on the ward. Nurses heard the unit explode and tried to put out the flames but the ward was engulfed in thick smoke, according to AP.

It’s the second such fire over the course of the pandemic after a fire broke out last month at a coronavirus isolation centre in Cairo. Medics have been warning since the start of Egypt’s pandemic that the healthcare system is about to collapse partly because of chronic underfunding and outdated equipment after years of government neglect.

Already entire hospitals and departments across the country have had to shut their doors after becoming overwhelmed with Covid cases and large numbers of infections among the medical staff.

Doctors have complained that there is not enough space in ICU centres whilst Egyptians have resorted to social media to try and find beds.

In one widely shared case, a video was posted of a woman asleep on the pavement outside a hospital after being rejected from several health care centres due to lack of beds and sufficient medication.

Despite this, the government is restarting its economy with restaurants, cafes, churches and mosques opening their doors.

The country’s medical union has warned that this could overwhelm the healthcare system.

Egypt officially has 66,754 total cases and 2,872 deaths though experts have warned the real figure is likely to be far higher due to lack of testing and government attempts to control the narrative in a bid to appear as though they are in control.

Dubai’s Zen Tower reopens two years on from devastating fire after Dh20m revamp

by Middle East - Projects

A Dubai “community” has been reborn as residents return to a tower block devastated by fire two years ago following the completion of a Dh20 million refurbishment project.

An electrical fault in a first floor apartment sparked a blaze which tore through Zen Tower on a baking hot summer’s day in May, 2018.

Thankfully, no lives were lost as wind speeds of 30 miles per hour whipped-up flames across flammable cladding that encased the 68-flat high rise in Dubai Marina.

Residents who founded a new owner’s management association expressed huge relief at finally being able to move back into their homes this week.

Zen Tower near Dubai Marina is ready to receive residents after extensive refurbishment work at a cost of Dh20 million was completed following a fire in May 2018. Reem Mohammed/The National

A Dubai “community” has been reborn as residents return to a tower block devastated by fire two years ago following the completion of a Dh20 million refurbishment project.

An electrical fault in a first floor apartment sparked a blaze which tore through Zen Tower on a baking hot summer’s day in May, 2018.

Thankfully, no lives were lost as wind speeds of 30 miles per hour whipped-up flames across flammable cladding that encased the 68-flat high rise in Dubai Marina.

Residents who founded a new owner’s management association expressed huge relief at finally being able to move back into their homes this week.

“It is our family home, so we are all relieved to be going back at last”, said Sherif Shamel, who will move his young family back into his eighth floor apartment this weekend.

“My children are very happy to be moving home as the youngest was born when we moved into the building in 2012.

“It is a small community, just 15 floors, so it is a better place to live than the huge tower blocks elsewhere in Dubai. Everyone here knows each other.”

As the building was built in 2002, some materials used in the original construction were no longer available.

To retain Zen Tower’s original features, consultants from the National Engineering Bureau and Rose City Contracting Company painstakingly sourced near-matching materials where possible.

Contractors even developed their own paint colour in keeping with the original decor in the corridors and lobby.

“Everyone had strong memories of how the building was, so we have tried our best to restore those,” said Tariq Ali, a construction manager with RCCC.

“Children would play here and parents saw their families grow, so it was almost like restoring a museum to keep their memories alive.”

Initial reports issued by police said the fire worsened as a result of flammable furniture and high winds.

The first five floors of the building, that backs on to the Sheikh Zayed Road Abu Dhabi interchange, were worst hit forcing more than 100 residents to flee their homes.

The building smouldered for several days and water used by Civil Defence crews destroyed much of the electrics and lower floors, including the basement swimming pool and gym.

Of the 68 apartments, 39 were completely rebuilt. Developers reduced the risk of future incidents by inserting a curtain wall to act as a fire break.

Air-conditioning and communication systems have been modernised while cladding cited as an accelerant in the blaze has been completely removed and replaced with a safer alternative at a cost of Dh1 million.

Similar flammable aluminium composite panel cladding used across the country has been blamed as a major factor in scores of tower block fires in recent years.

UK commemorates Grenfell Tower’s third anniversary

by Breaking NewsEvents

The United Kingdom has marked the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower apartment block fire with a virtual church service to remember the 72 people who died in the blaze.

Sunday 14th June marked three years since a small kitchen fire in the west London public-housing block turned into the worst domestic blaze in the country since World War II.

The fire spread rapidly and engulfed the 24-story building, shocking the nation and prompting a widespread investigation into low-cost and flammable cladding at high-rise buildings.

“As a nation, we are still dealing with the consequences of what happened and working to make sure it never happens again,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a video message to be shown at an online commemoration service. “While those affected by Grenfell are not able to gather in person, I want you to know that all of us in this country are with you in spirit.”

“I remain absolutely committed to uncovering the causes of this tragedy and ensuring it is never repeated.” In tribute to each victim who died in the fire, the bells of London churches will toll 72 times and green lights will glow from tower block windows to show solidarity with survivors and the bereaved.

The Humanity for Grenfell group recently held an online, multi-faith service and a 72-second moment of silence to remember the victims. Campaigners have also accused local and national authorities of allowing the installation of dangerous external cladding that became a major contributor to the rapid spread of the fire.

A public inquiry into the disaster was paused in March because of the coronavirus pandemic and is due to restart in July. Police have said no one is likely to face criminal charges until 2021.

The continuing Grenfell Tower Inquiry published its first report in October, highlighting “significant systemic failings” by the London Fire Brigade, including poor evacuation, command and communication procedures. Fire chiefs rejected the criticism.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick promised changes to building regulations to “ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”

FSC to deliver NFPA accredited training outside of UK

by Uncategorized

The Fire Service College (FSC) has become the first centre outside of North America to achieve Pro Board approval to deliver training in overseas territories to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards.

Under the rules for Pro Board Accreditation, centres are restricted to deliver training within the territory in which they operate. The approval from Pro Board allows the delivery of training outside of the United Kingdom, which is a significant development for the FSC.

In order to gain this approval, the FSC worked closely with the International Safety Training College (ISTC) Malta, where the College delivered a NFPA Pro Board certified course to Maltese learners, whilst being assessed and validated by a member of the Pro Board executive team.

This latest development supports the FSC’s vision of “becoming a true Centre of Excellence for both UK and international Fire and Rescue Services”. As the home of firefighter development, the FSC is a “unique resource in the UK and is one of the world’s premier fire training venues”, attracting customers from across the world to train in a world-class facility with internationally recognised credentials.

Frederick Piechota, Pro Board accreditation manager, commented: “As the result of the Site Visit conducted by a representative of the Pro Board to observe certification testing conducted by the FSC in Malta, the Pro Board has determined that the parameters for Out of Country Certification Testing, that were established by the Board of Directors of the Pro Board, have been met and that any certifications that were issued are valid and may be processed into the Pro Board’s International Certification Registry. Our thanks to the College for its support.”

Ted O’Brien, director of product and quality at FSC said: “This approval underlines our position as a leading provider of firefighter training both at home and abroad. It acknowledges that the FSC is working to the most widely recognised fire and prevention standards in the world – those of the North American Fire and Rescue Services. This new approval from Pro Board opens up new opportunities for the Fire Service College, allowing us to extend the delivery of recognised, accredited training to new and existing international customers.”