Meeting to be held on 22 April 2024
Contact for further information – Deputy Chief Fire Officer Steve Healey
Tel: 01772 866802
Executive SummaryThis report provides Members with information relating to operational incidents of interest since the last report to the Authority.
Recommendation(s)The Authority is asked to note the report.
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This report provides Members with information relating to operational incidents of interest. This has been a busy operational period, therefore the report details only the larger deployments or more complex incidents attended. As a result, some incidents that Members have been made aware of locally, may not form part of the report.
The following summarises the incidents with further detail provided within the body of the paper:
- Firefighters attend a road traffic collision (RTC) in Tarleton, in which 2 people lost their lives
- 6 fire engines attend a commercial building fire in Lytham St Anne’s
- Fire crews attend a suspected chemical leak with multiple casualties in Clitheroe
- 8 fire engines attend a commercial building fire in Blackburn
- 8 fire engines attend a large fire in Clayton le Dale, Ribble Valley
- 8 fire engines attend a commercial building fire in Blackpool
- 8 fire engines attend derelict building fire in Chorley
- 6 fire engines attend a church on fire in Padiham
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S58 Tarleton |
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Date: |
4 February 2024 |
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Time: |
08:27 |
Fire crews from Tarleton and Leyland attended an RTC on Hesketh Lane in Tarleton. The incident involved a Land Rover Discovery, which had collided with a Mini and then hit a tree. The Land Rover had two occupants, an adult male and an eighteen-month-old child, who were both unconscious. The Mini had a female driver suffering with neck pain. Unfortunately, the two occupants of the Land Rover were confirmed deceased at the scene. Fire crews used cutting equipment to release the driver of the Mini, so that she could be transferred to hospital.
As the Mini was electrically powered and had received a considerable impact, there was the added risk of thermal runaway within the battery cells and subsequently, a fire, which fortunately did not happen on this occasion. Crews made the scene safe and the fire service drone assisted police with their investigation. This incident was declared a major incident by the police and the road was closed for a protracted period. Fire crews were in attendance for approximately seven hours.
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LFRS station area: |
W35 Lytham |
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Date: |
6 February 2024 |
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Time: |
02:34 |
Six fire engines from St Annes, Wesham, South Shore and Blackpool attended a fire at Lytham Skip Hire on Boundary Road, Lytham St Annes. They were supported by the Command Unit from Fulwood. The fire involved large quantities of wood in storage units at the rear of the main building. The fire was prevented from spreading to the main building by removing a number of sandwich panels that had been affected by the radiated heat.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and water jets tackled the fire. They were assisted by site staff who moved waste using excavating machinery. The cause of the fire is unknown due to the lack of CCTV being made available for the investigation team. Fire crews were on scene for over twenty-four hours.
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LFRS station area: |
E91 Clitheroe |
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Date: |
9 February 2024 |
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Time: |
09:14 |
Four fire engines from Clitheroe and Blackburn, along with the Command Unit from Fulwood and Hazardous Material Unit from South Shore, attended an incident on Lincoln Way in Clitheroe. The report was of a number of staff being subjected to an unknown chemical, which has caused sickness and dizziness to twenty-four staff.
Ambulance service, Police and fire teams worked to identify the cause of the exposure and what impact this would have on the casualties. Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus entered the building so that they could check for further casualties and to establish a potential cause. The chemical was identified as a strong cleaning agent, which had not been used as per manufacturers guidance. This had caused a chemical reaction and had created a harmful atmosphere within the warehouse.
There were no serious injuries with all persons being checked over at the scene, except for one who was taken to hospital for further observations. Fire crews were in attendance for approximately two hours.
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LFRS station area: |
E71 Blackburn |
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Date: |
17 February 2024 |
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Time: |
01:34 |
Eight fire engines were called to a commercial building fire on Chadwick Street in Blackburn. Two water towers and the command unit supported them. On arrival the fire already involved three industrial units. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used several firefighting water jets and the two water towers to fight the fire. Water was pumped directly from the Leeds to Liverpool canal using several light portable pumps.
The cause of the fire has not been determined due to demolition work required to allow access to the fire. Fire crews were on scene for several days, damping down as the building was dismantled.
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LFRS station area: |
E71 Blackburn |
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Date: |
11 March 2024 |
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Time: |
22:16 |
Eight fire engines from Preston, Blackburn, Hyndburn, Great Harwood, Leyland, Bamber Bridge, Fulwood, and the Aerial Ladder Platform, Command Unit and Water Bowser attended a fire at Mrs Dowson’s Farm on Longsight Road, Clayton le Dale.
The fire involved a large barn used to store hay, which was also home to a number of goats and sheep. Approximately forty tonnes of hay were alight, which risked fire spread into the rest of the adjoining buildings.
Firefighters used firefighting water jets to tackle the fire, with the assistance of onsite staff using farm machinery. A number of cows, sheep and goats were evacuated in the initial stages of the fire. The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental, but how it started is undetermined due to the debris being disrupted from farm machinery when assisting with firefighting.
The owners have publicly thanked Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) in the press, being impressed with the response to the incident. The farm, apart from the barn is back fully operational and no injuries to persons on site were reported. The Service was in attendance for approximately twelve hours, damping down and conducting the fire investigation.
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LFRS station area: |
W30 Blackpool |
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Date: |
14 March 2024 |
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Time: |
00:59 |
Eight fire engines from Blackpool, St Annes, Bispham, South Shore, Fleetwood and Fulwood, the drone unit, the aerial ladder platform from Blackpool and Command Unit from Fulwood, attended a building fire at the Shazron Hotel, Havelock Street in Blackpool. On arrival, crews found the building to be well alight. The building was a hotel of three floors, with an area measuring approximately ten meters by thirty metres. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus, using firefighting jets, tackled the fire internally. This incident created a large smoke plume across the town, so residents were warned by our media team to keep doors and windows closed. Whilst firefighting, crews identified a cannabis farm, which was reported to police colleagues. The cause of the fire was undetermined due to the unstable structure following the fire, however the entrance door was insecure when fire crews arrived.
LFRS were in attendance for over twelve hours, whilst the scene was made safe, and the investigation took place.
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LFRS station area: |
S54 Chorley |
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Date: |
16 March 2024 |
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Time: |
22:39 |
Eight fire engines from Chorley, Leyland, Bamber Bridge, Blackburn and Preston, the Stinger from Blackburn, the Water Bowser from Leyland, the Aerial Ladder Platform from Preston, the drone, Command Unit from Fulwood and one fire engine from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service were mobilised to a derelict former college building on Southport Road in Chorley. On arrival, firefighters found the single-storey derelict building to be well alight. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire with firefighting jets. The Stinger was also used to apply water through the roof.
LFRS were at the scene for over twenty hours, damping down and conducting the fire investigation. The investigation led to the cause being recorded as deliberate.
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LFRS station area: |
P92 Padiham |
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Date: |
18 March 2024 |
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Time: |
08:05 |
Six fire engines and an Aerial Ladder Platform, drone and Command Unit attended reports of a fire at St Johns the Baptist church on St John’s Road in Padiham.
The fire was in the main church building, with ten metres of wooden wall panelling, and approximately ten metres of carpet and wall furnishing involved in the fire, with the church heavily smoke logged. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the church to fight the fire.
Crews were at the scene for over three hours, damping down and conducting a fire investigation. The cause of the fire was recorded as accidental, starting from a fault in the electrical supply. It is believed that the fire had started over twelve hours earlier and slowly developed overnight.
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Potential impact on local environment in relation to operational incidents. Significant incidents benefit from the attendance of specialist water towers (stingers) and the hazardous materials unit both of which have positive impacts on firefighting operations and reduce environmental impacts.
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