Bar FM

Incident No. 2655
Date: 6th July 2007
Time: 2030
Type: Fire
Address: Commercial Road, Lowestoft
Initial Attendance: Two pumps from Normanshurst plus Hydraulic Platform (HP) and pump from Great Yarmouth
Final Attendance: Four pumps (inc. Yarmouth pump) and HP

What is it with shouts and me only having just eaten! Hadn't long finished a Chinese takeaway when my alerter starting throwing a wobbly.

I think the call was to a fire in a derelict building. Anyone who knows Commercial Road in Lowestoft could point to quite a few properties that fits this bill!

The wholetimers pulled up round the back of Commercial Road while we went to the front entrance. We were greated by a well developed fire ina small, rubbish filled alley. One hosereel was got to work on this while we ran out the flaked lengths of 45mm to act as a covering jet.

BA teams were being committed at the front and back of the building with reports that the fire had spread to the first floor and possibly to adjoining properties.

An assistance message of Make Pumps 3 was made to ensure we had enough BA wearers available.

BA teams were extinguishing pockets of fire as they made their way through the building only to find new seats of fire erupting on their return route. Just goes to show that you should have your fire-fighting medium with you at all times!

One of the adjacent properties houses around 15 people – looked after by the Fyffe Centre in town. There representative turned up with all the spare keys and also informed us that 8 persons were still unaccounted for. So the incident now turns into Persons Reported – there are, potentially, people / casualties in the premises.

As usual with these incidents, everything is hectic for the first 20 minutes or so and then things settle down a bit. As pump operator I was massaging the water supply but also having to set into the nearest hydrant which was the best part of 100m away. I haven't done that much running of hose or as speedily since I was on my recruits course!

Looking that the properties around the area, it will only be a matter of time before more [word deleted…] get into the old Bar FM or another place and we'll be back again.

Back home by about 2315 for a shower and a nice, sweet cup of tea…