Latest news with #fireService
BBC News
an hour ago
- Health
- BBC News
Fire service attends 'chemical incident' in Magheralin
Five people have been taken to hospital following a major incident at an industrial site in County Armagh. Emergency services attended a potential chemical incident near Magheralin, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has 17 people were assessed at the scene by ambulance services, with five being transferred to hospital. None are thought to be in a life threatening is no risk to the public, but the fire service has asked that people avoid the area.
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Former top Greek fire officials convicted over deadly blaze
A court in Athens has convicted a former fire service chief and nine others for their roles in managing a 2018 wildfire that killed more than 100 people outside the Greek capital. The hearing was disrupted by protests from victims' relatives after several former civil administrators on trial were acquitted. Advertisement The fire, which broke out in the seaside area of Mati, east of Athens, spread rapidly due to strong winds. Many residents died in a chaotic attempt to escape — either by car through a dense forest or fleeing into the sea. Senior officials from the fire service and civil protection agencies were found guilty of negligence resulting in loss of life and breach of duty for failing to safely direct the evacuation. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for Wednesday due to the delay caused by the courtroom protests. Advertisement 'My daughter went there for one day and never made it out. No one told her to leave,' Eleni Siapkara, dressed in black and holding a white rose, told reporters. 'They destroyed our family.' Her 35-year-old daughter, Calliope, died in the fire. Ms Siapkara joined other grieving relatives outside the courthouse where they released black helium-filled balloons in remembrance of the tragedy. Six of the defendants were initially found guilty in a trial that concluded last year, but an appeals court prosecutor challenged the verdict, leading to a retrial. Advertisement None of the defendants was jailed while awaiting the outcome of the second trial.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- BBC News
Wetin we know about di Liverpool FC victory parade incident wia one man drive enta crowd
Authorities don arrest one 53-year-old man after car hit some pedestrians for Liverpool city centre during di Premier League victory parade. Eyewitnesses and videos wey circulate for social media show di vehicle as e drive enta crowd as people dey scate. Police say dem no dey treat di incident as terror-related. Details still dey come out, but dis an wetin we know so far. Wetin happen? One car jam pedestrians for Water Street just after 18:00, Merseyside Police tok. Inside one statement, di force say: "Dem contact us just after 18:00 today, Monday 26 May, following reports say one car hit pedestrians for Water Street. "Di car stop for di scene and dem don detain one male." Police later say dem arrest one 53-year-old white British man from di Liverpool area and say dem believe say e be di driver. Di ambulance service say dem carry 27 people to hospital for treatment, with two, including one child, wey dey seriously injured. Dem treat 20 people for injuries for di scene. Four children dey among di injured. Four people including one child bin dey lifted from under di car, Merseyside chief fire Nick Searle tok. Police say dem no dey treat di case as terror-related and dem believe say di incident no relate to anoda one. UK law define terrorism as action wey dey designed to influence di government, or to intimidate di public, for di purpose of "advancing political, religious, racial or ideological cause".
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Suffolk battery farms 'emerging risk' for fire crews, says chief
A fire service wants more power to enforce safety measures for battery energy storage systems (BESS).BESS stockpile green energy by using thousands of lithium-ion batteries in storage containers, but there are concerns about fire Griffin, Suffolk's deputy chief fire officer, described the sites as an "emerging risk" and said communities were government said there were "high safety standards in place" and BESS were a protection against "future energy shocks". BESS hold excess energy generated by wind and solar farms and then release it into the grid when the power is needed batteries - found in phones, e-bikes and electric vehicles - are used in large Griffin warned the scale of BESS meant firefighters were having to learn new techniques."There can be complications with vapour clouds and fires will last a long time," he added."It is an emerging risk for us and we are alive to it."He wanted fire services to be given more power to enforce safety measures, as they were only allowed to give "direction and professional advice"."I'd like to see a power that is akin to a regulatory order, where we would have the power to enforce safety measures on those sites," Mr Griffin said. Prof Paul Christensen, a lithium-ion battery expert at the University of Newcastle, said cells underwent "thermal runaway" when is where the current flowing through the battery on charge causes its temperature to rise, potentially causing a fire."These reactions produce large volumes of gas explosive and toxic gas, but also heat," he said."Eventually what you get is the gas venting from the individual cells. This can ignite to flames or you can actually get an explosion."Prof Christensen stressed the batteries were often "perfectly safe" when operated within the set limits. A BESS can be standalone or attached to a solar farm. In Suffolk, a number are already operating and there are more in the pipeline:Three BESS will accompany the agreed £600m Sunnica solar farm in west SuffolkIn March, plans were agreed for a 400MW BESS near Bramford in Ipswich In February, a 101-acre (41-hectare) solar farm and accompanying BESS was agreed for Halesworth in east SuffolkA government database tracking the progress of UK renewable electricity schemes over 150kW through the planning system lists 1,867 battery to the online tool, 211 are operational or under construction. Dr Catherine Judkins is the chairwoman of the Say No to Sunnica community said some residents were "absolutely petrified" by fires BESS could cause at the 2,500-acre (1,011-hectare) site."They burn for many hours, if not days and weeks," Dr Judkins said."While they're burning they omit highly toxic emissions over wide areas and have caused, in other cities across the world, mass evacuations."Plans for Sunnica were approved by the government last July and the proposal included measures to avoid, reduce or mitigate fire Suffolk MP Nick Timothy said "the threat of sabotage" at nearby RAF Mildenhall should also be taken into account. Battery storage is regulated by the Health and Safety Executive, which checks safety measures put in place by operators and installers.A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero added: "Every wind turbine we put up, every solar panel we install and every battery storage facility we construct helps protect families from future energy shocks."Battery fires at storage sites are rare in the UK. "We already have high safety standards in place that require manufacturers and industry to ensure batteries are safe throughout their lifespan."Sunnica was approached for comment. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Woman arrested after 17 people injured in train station knife attack in Hamburg
At least 17 people are believed to have been injured in a knife attack at Hamburg Central Station on Friday evening. Hamburg's fire service said late on Friday 17 people were injured – four of them with life-threatening injuries, another six with serious injuries and seven with light injuries, German news agency dpa reported. Hamburg Police said it had arrested the suspected assailant on social media after declaring a major police operation. They said on social media: 'There is currently a major police operation in #Hamburg on #Hauptbahnhof! 'We are investigating the background and will provide further information here shortly.' Authorities revealed they arrested a 39-year-old woman, who they believe acted alone. Police said there were 'no reliable figures on the number of injured people' but confirmed several people had sustained life-threatening injuries. Local media reported that the attack took place near platforms 13 and 14, accessible via a busy main road, while a train had pulled into one of the platforms around 6pm local time. Police have cordoned off part of the complex. Officers 'approached her, and the woman allowed herself to be arrested without resistance', Hamburg police spokesperson Florian Abbenseth said, according to the comments carried by public broadcaster ARD. 'We have no evidence so far that the woman may have had a political motive,' he said. 'Rather, we have information, based on which we now want to investigate, whether she may have been experiencing a psychological emergency.' Chancellor Friedrich Merz's office said the German leader was appalled by the news. He reportedly called Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher to say 'my thoughts are with the victims and their relatives.' Deutsche Bahn said of the incident: 'We are deeply saddened by the violent incident at Hamburg Central Station this early evening. Our thoughts and condolences are with those injured. 'Due to the ongoing police operation, tracks 11 to 14 at Hamburg Central Station are currently closed. Delays and diversions are occurring for long-distance trains. 'We ask our passengers to check their connections before starting their journey using digital information tools such as and the DB Navigator app. DB service staff will be available to assist passengers at the main station. 'We are fully supporting the authorities in their investigations on site.' The station, downtown in Germany's second-biggest city, is a major hub for local, regional and long-distance trains. With an average of 550,000 passengers a day, Hamburg is Germany's busiest railway station and the second-busiest in Europe after the Gare du Nord in Paris. Carrying weapons, including knives, is banned at the station and on local transport in the city. The incident comes over two months after a a car rammed into a crowd on a busy shopping street in the city of Mannheim. Police arrested one man following the incident on a pedestrianised street, where a market had been put up for carnival season. An elderly woman and 54-year-old man were killed in the incident which took place in March.
