Onn Yan Lai, joint proprietor of the Kings Chinese takeaway in Thatcham, pleaded guilty to 12 offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at Reading Magistrates Court on 1 February.

Royal Berkshire Fire Authority (RBFA) brought the charges following an inspection of the restaurant by fire safety officers in July 2010. At the time of the inspection, the premises was used as a Chinese takeaway and also included sleeping accommodation for staff.

Breaches included no fire risk assessment in place; inadequate fire protection for and obstruction of escape routes; no adequate fire alarm system; a failure to take adequate fire safety precautions to protect staff and members of the public; inadequate fire evacuation training for staff; and a failure to maintain firefighting equipment.

The court heard that the breaches presented a serious and life-threatening risk to the staff who worked there and to members of the public who visited the premises.

According to RBFA, District Judge Matthews said the breaches should attract a very significant level of fine, but that she was obliged to consider the defendant’s mitigation regarding his current financial position.

Mr Lai was awarded credit for his early guilty plea and his previous good character, which was reflected in a lower level of fines. He was ordered to pay fines totalling £5,750 and costs of £5,469.50.

Source info4fire

The first fire, on Saturday 11February, affected the Bran Flakes production line at the factory in Wrexham, North Wales.

The fire started on the roof in of the facility, and was thought to have been caused by a blockage in a cyclone dust collection system, causing a motor to overheat.

Three appliances attended the scene where staff were evacuated, but the damage was minimal – thought to be restricted to around 10% of the extractor unit – so production was able to resume the same day.

The second more significant incident happened just a few days later on February 13, this time on the production line for Elevenses cereal bars.

The fire broke out in an industrial oven used to bake the bars, causing a complete shutdown of production in this part of the factory. However, impressively the fire did not mean a complete evacuation of the rest of the plant, meaning there was only minimal disruption to the ceral makers output.

One appliance attended this second fire which was confined to the oven. Thermal imaging cameras were used to ensure the fire had not spread.

Production on the brand was resumed the following day, resulting in an estimated 10 ton reduction in output.

A kellogg’s spokeswoman told foodmanufacture.co.uk that they were not worried about the timing of the two fires.

She said “Anything that happens in our plants in investigated fully. Are we concerned about there being two [fires in a short amount of time]? No. But we are investigating fully.”
Source Info4fire

In the worst prison fire for over a century over 350 people are known to have burned and suffocated to death, locked in their cells while firemen struggled to find the guards who held the keys.

The conflicting goals of keeping prisoners securely locked up and that of fire safety have clashed here in spectacular fashion, as indeed they did in 2004 when over 100 died in another Honduran prison.

Associated press footage from the prison in Comayagua, Honduras
Then, the message was that the prisons would be reformed, and that a disaster of this kind would never happen again. Clearly, that promise has been grimly reneged on.

In a country that sadly boasts the highest murder rate in the world (86 per 100k compared to 1.23 in the UK), prison overcrowding is inevitable. 856 prisoners were squeezed into a prison designed for just 500 on Tuesday night, and many of them were guilty of no crime.

Associated Press have seen a report, submitted last month to the UN, that states around half of inmates were either awaiting trial or suspected gang members.

Honduras has strict anti-gang laws whereby anyone can be imprisoned simply for having a gang tattoo.

Prisoner heard screaming “We will all die here!”
There are two theories as to the cause of the fire; it was either an electrical fault, or a prisoner who threatened to burn the prison down before setting his mattress on fire. Witnesses reported that the man screamed “We will all die here!”

Whatever the cause, what is known is that the 12 guards on duty overnight in the prison held back firefighters in the belief that that the screaming that could be heard was a riot, and that the prisoners were staging a prison break.

They were held back for 30 minutes before finally being allowed in to tackle the fire. By the time they were allowed in there was no sign of the keys or the guards, and fire crews were unable to save the men locked inside.

Many bodies were found in the prisons washrooms, where it is believed inmates hid in the hope that the water from the showers would save them.

Chaotic scenes outside the prison, where friends and relatives of inmates were gathering for news, caused further confusion and grief.

Shots were fired into the air, and tear gas was deployed to keep back members of the public, who were desperate to try and save their loved ones.

Prison reforms
Without widespread prison reforms, human rights groups and the international community are fearful that the scenes could be repeated again in the future.

Human Rights Watch’s Americas director, Jose Miguel Vivanco, said “Given that Honduras has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, authorities have been locking up convicted and suspected criminals, but failing to address the conditions in which they are being held.”

The president of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo, has promised a “full and transparent” investigation into what happened, and suspended local and national prison officials, in a bid to show that the Government are in control and serious this time about real reforms.

Preventing a disaster in the UK
We contacted the Ministry of Justice to find out what failsafes are in place to ensure that similar disasters would not be possible in the UK.

A Prison Service spokesperson said, “We have robust measures in place to deal with the risks posed by fire in our prisons.

“Each prison also carries out regular fire risk assessments to ensure staff, prisoners and visitors are as safe as possible.”

Emergency services were called to the home in Duggins Lane, Tile Hill, during Saturday afternoon.

A West Midlands Ambulance spokesman said 38 residents had been moved out of the property, with six needing treatment, one for burns on her leg.

The remaining five people, including a member of staff, were treated for the effects of breathing in smoke.

Both women were in their 80s.

West Midlands Fire and Rescue said when crews arrived they found staff and police moving the residents away from the fire and into other parts of the residential complex.

Spokesman Bill Gough said the fire had been small and in a ground-floor bedroom.

Congratulations to Steve on an excellent course with extremely positive feedback. His passion about what he does and how to avoid the potential risks of fire was apparent throughout the course.

Kind regards
Debra

Mohammed Munir was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (4 January) after earlier pleading guilty at the city’s magistrates court to six offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, including failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and failing to comply with an enforcement order. He was also ordered to do 180 hours unpaid work and pay £4,000 in costs.

Following concerns by fire crews, fire protection officers from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) visited the premises, identified a number of areas which required rectifying and issued an enforcement notice.

NFRS said officers visited the premises on subsequent occasions to assess progress and advise Mr Munir on achieving a satisfactory standard of fire safety, to protect his employees in the event of a fire. They agreed to allow Mr Munir additional time to comply with the enforcement notice.

Mr Munir was prosecuted when it became apparent that he had ignored the deadline and continued to trade without ensuring his premises were safe.

Neil Williamson, fire protection station manager at NFRS said:

“In this case, my officers had previously spent some time ensuring that the occupier was aware of his responsibilities and duties to ensure the safety of employees, and it is disappointing that he chose to place people at risk from fire. The absence of a fire risk assessment is a particularly bad aspect of this case, especially after numerous reminders.”

Other offences were: Failing to ensure an effective means of escape from the premises; failing to ensure that exit routes were clear at all times; failing to provide adequate emergency lighting in emergency routes and exits; and failing to ensure that non-automatic firefighting equipment provided was easily accessible, simple to use and indicated by signs.

Twin girls aged four, a two-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man all lost their lives, police said.

999 crews were called to a bungalow in Lytham Road, Freckleton, near Preston, at 11.21pm on Saturday.

Group manager Phil Cox, from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, who was the officer in charge, described the desperate battle to save the four people.

He said firefighters lead a fifth person, a female, out of the property.

He said: “A lot of people there will have been parents themselves and this will affect anybody, whether it is residents in the area, or people who knew the family, and fire service personel who tried valiantly to stop the outcome we have.”

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire is believed to have started in a bedroom which was filled with smoke when crews arrived.

He said the cause of the fire was being investigated but was not being treated as suspicious at the moment.

>> Return to lep.co.uk for updates throughout Sunday and Monday.

Staff arriving at a Lancashire business park in the aftermath of a huge fire which engulfed a warehouse have described the site as “like a warzone.”

Around 50 firefighters are continuing to battle a blaze at the Lancashire Enterprise Business Park, off Centurion Way, in Leyland, after the blaze broke out at 5.20pm on Wednesday.

H Parkinson Haulage and a Bowker’s storage unit has been razed to the ground, along with three other unnamed buildings.

At its height 150 firefighters battled the blaze which could be seen billowing throughout the area and it is believed an 80,000 sq ft area – the size of three full sized football pitches – has been affected.

It is believed five buildings have been destroyed but firefighters are not yet sure if there is a sixth building which has been affected.

On Thursday morning, one staff member from Correct Gauge and Tool Services, based on the business park, said: “The fire started in the old Albion building. All that has gone. Obviously it just got out of control.

“It has cleaned most of that site out and done a lot of smoke damage to some office blocks.

“It was intense. It was about 200 yards away from us but the wind was quite strong so it was carrying everything the opposite way to us.

“At the gatehouse and security you would not known anything had gone on but look at the other side and it is like a warzone. There is nothing left.”

The crews which include eight fire engines, an aerial ladder platform, a mobile fire station and a high volume pump, were concentrating on an industrial unit which houses a number of businesses including Bowker’s.

Amazingly, no-one has been injured but the West Coast Mainline was closed during the night after concerns beer barrels were exploding and flying out from the inferno.

A police spokesman said Centurion Way and Wheelton Lane, Leyland, remained closed at 9am on Thursday but people could access some of the businesses on foot.

John Hampson, crew manager at Preston fire station who attended the blaze, said: “It was a big fire, we got reasonably close so we could put water on the fire.

“It was a big fire buy nothing out of the ordinary on respect that we occasionally get ones like this.”

Police evacuated much of the business park and many of the businesses and offices in the area, including Jubilee House NHS Central Lancashire, were closed today.

Leyland Leisure Centre was put on alert to take in residents from up to 80 homes within the vicinity of the blaze.

Police have advised people to stay indoors with their windows and doors closed due to the threat of smoke. A police helicopter is also circling overhead.

Rail services have also been suspended.

The NHS Central Lancashire headquarters is on the site but is believed not to be damaged by the fire. It will be completely shut on Thursday.

Staff are advised to go to other PCT offices if practical, such as Ormskirk PCT HQ, Preston Business Centre, Walshaw House in Nelson or NHS North Lancashire, while arrangements are made for staff to work remotely.

Updates will be posted on the PCT website.

An NHS Central Lancashire spokeswoman said: “We have a series of contingency and emergency plans in place for events such as this.

“We have IT systems in place for staff to work remotely from home or other NHS buildings if necessary and our emergency planning team is working to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.”

On Thursday morning a number of businesses, including Progress Plus and Progress Housing and Correct Gauge and Tool Services confirmed they were open as normal.

Firefighters treated 15 people for smoke inhalation – three of them are in a serious condition.

A total of 180 people were in the nursing home when the fire broke out but not all of them were evacuated.

The fire comes less than a month after two people died in a blaze in a retirement home at La Rochefoucauld in the Charente region of southwest France.

Eighty-one pensioners were in residence at the time and 12 were admitted to hospital.

More follows…

Developed by the Chief Fire Officers Association and the UK Timber Frame Association, the national notification scheme is designed to support the UKTFA’s Site Safe scheme.

“If a fire and rescue service is notified of a construction site of this nature, it can be registered as a ‘temporary risk’ in their area, which could otherwise have gone undetected until the building work was complete,” said CFOA prevention and protection director, Dave Curry. “Services can then decide whether the site requires initial or ongoing inspection throughout the life of the construction project.”

Chairman of the UKTFA, Simon Orrells, said: “The UKTFA has worked for many years to improve site safety standards and limit the risk of fire on construction sites and we are delighted that the national notification system has now been developed. This in its own right will make a significant difference.”

The initiative seems to mark a better understanding between the two associations. Last year, UKTFA said chief officers demonstrated a ‘lack of understanding’ about the role of building regulations. This followed a call by CFOA for an urgent review of building regulations in the light of a large timber frame construction site fire in September 2010.