Blaze at Fire Service College Causes £1.3m Damage

Eleven fire engines and the workshop they were kept in were destroyed
by a large fire at the Fire Service College in Moreton in Marsh,
Gloucestershire. The blaze which happened last Saturday (16/05/09)
caused a huge £1.3 million worth of damage.

The fire worked its way through the single storey building which
contained 1,200 litres of diesel and 500 litres of hydraulic oil.
Fourteen appliances from Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire
plus a damage control unit and environmental protection unit were
called out to help tackle the flames.

The fire was discovered at 9.15am and was under control by 2.15pm. The
fire crews managed to contain the fire within the workshop, stopping
it spreading to the adjacent bay housing which contained more fire
appliances.

Area manager Derek Cross, from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service
said: "The crews all worked so hard and so effectively together to
ensure the fire was contained in the building where it started. This
allowed us to remove the other vehicles to ensure they did not suffer
any damage. It was a cross-border effort and the teamwork was superb.
I'd like to thank everyone involved for their hard work."

The College's chief executive said: "The College will be open as usual
on Monday morning and none of the courses will be cancelled. This is
down to the efforts of all the fire crews from three local fire and
rescue services, who were fantastic - working together effectively and
efficiently in a common purpose. It's just what people recognise and
admire about the service."

An investigation to determine the cause of the fire is currently being
carried out.