Latest news with #HumbersideFireAndRescue
BBC News
22-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Humberside firefighters at sea: 'It's like crawling into an oven'
Fires at sea are rare, but when they happen, they can be deadly, with one fire trainer explaining, "effectively, we're in a big metal box."Following a blaze in the cargo hold of a ship at Albert Dock in Hull, crews are continuing to train for one of the most dangerous jobs in the News was invited to Immingham to see how Humberside Fire and Rescue prepare for fires on board 27 June, crews were called to Albert Dock in Hull after a blaze broke out in a cargo hold packed with scrap metal leaving a thick plume of smoke drifting for miles over the months earlier, in March, a man went missing, presumed dead after two ships collided in the North Sea off the coast near Withernsea. A reminder of how serious maritime incidents in the region can be. The risk is a real one and in Immingham, firefighters are put through intense, ship-based training to make sure they're ready. The facility in North East Lincolnshire is built from three stacked shipping containers and designed to replicate the interior of a real vessel. It includes an imitation engine room, kitchen, crew quarters, and watertight doors and hatches made of thick heavy Gary O'Hara said: "Effectively, we're inside a big metal box. All that metal's getting superheated. "If we put too much water in there, you potentially create a lot of steam. Mr O'Hara said: "There isn't any visibility, depending on what's on fire. It could be thick, black, acrid smoke, so everything's done by touch and feel."He said the scale of the environment made firefighting at sea unlike any other domestic incident."If you imagine going on a ferry travelling from Hull to Amsterdam or Zeebrugge or somewhere, and the amount of floors, the amount of doors, the amount of cabins that you've got in a room like that. "Compared to your normal two-up, two-down property… it's completely different." Firefighters also train with a 45mm (1.8inch) hose, much heavier than those used for house fires. More personnel are needed just to drag it through the ship's narrow manager Glyn Dixon said: "You're fighting in extreme heats, narrow, confined spaces, and unfamiliar environments - not just because they're afloat, but because every vessel is different."It's tantamount to crawling in an oven and firefighting within it."The Humber is one of the most important port areas within the country, having 15% of most vessel traffic within the UK. "It's a predominant risk for our area, and it's something we take seriously." Crew manager Carl Carter had just completed a training scenario in which crews had to rescue a fake casualty from deep inside the simulated said: "The frequency of you getting a ship to firefight is low but yet the risk is high. "It's probably one of the most dangerous jobs you can have when you're in the service." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
11-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Firefighters tackle blaze at Pocklington scrapyard
Firefighters are tackling a large blaze at a scrapyard in East Fire and Rescue Service said multiple crews were called to a fire at a commercial site on York Road in Pocklington, which started at about 09:45 BST.A road closure is in place with a part of the A1079 shut between Hodsow Lane roundabout and The Balk while emergency services worked at the site, a spokesperson have been advised to keep their windows and doors closed because of the large amount of smoke, and motorists have been urged to avoid the area. The cause of the blaze is not yet to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Click here to download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and here to download the BBC News app from Google Play for Android devices.
