Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service Press Release
Crews tackle serious fire at lakeside house
Crews from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service have spent today tackling a major fire at a lakeside property between Fairford and Lechlade.
Around 18 firefighters helped to put out the blaze at the detached wooden second home, which was still under construction on the Coln Park site. Crews from Fairford, Northleach and Stow attended when the call came in at 3.11am. There was no one in the building and no one was injured.
Relief crews from Cheltenham, Painswick and Winchcombe replaced them at around midday. By 2pm, the fire was under control. The crews were able to pump water from the lake to tackle the fire.
Cirencester Station Manager and officer in charge at the incident, Jeff Neathway, said: “Thankfully, the fire resistant materials used in the construction of this property prevented the fire from spreading to nearby land, although there were no other buildings close to it. Having the lake as a water supply was also helpful.
“It did take a long time to put the fire out, largely because its lakeside location means it has to be waterproof. We were also unable to send firefighters inside the property because of the risk of collapse, so we could only tackle it from the outside.”
The cause of the fire is not yet known. An investigation will now be carried out.
Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, Gloucestershire County Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “This was a major fire and all the crews involved worked exceptionally hard to extinguish it in difficult conditions. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts.”
Giles Baker, director of The Lakes by Yoo, who own the site, said: "The fire crews did an excellent job and were here within minutes of the alarm being raised. We would like to thank them for their tireless efforts. It has been a long day for them and we so appreciate their professionalism in making the site safe."
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The stop message for this incident came in at 3.32pm. It was a two-storey building of 25m x 15m severely damaged by fire. Three jets, two hose reels and six breathing apparatus were used.
Issued by: Emma Smith, Gloucestershire County Council Media Team, 01452 426887, 01452 426887, emma.j.smith@glosfire.gov.uk
4th March 2010
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