Firefighters on the turntable ladder at the scene of yesterday's chimney fire in Prestwood. Click on the thumbnail below for another picture.

14 August 2008

Fire and Urban Search and Rescue crews sent a “snake eye” camera 25 feet down a chimney last night after a fire at a ground floor flat in Prestwood.

Although the chimney fire in Gryms Dyke was quickly extinguished by firefighters from Great Missenden, they were concerned about the amount of heat coming from the chimney breast in the flat above.

The camera was suspended from a turntable ladder by colleagues from High Wycombe and Beaconsfield. It sent back pictures from all three flues leading to the chimney and confirmed that the fire was all out

Station Manager Nick Honor, who also attended the incident, said: “We did this as a precaution because we were concerned that a fire might still be burning in a hidden void.

“The premises had been divided up in the past and work had been carried out on the chimney. There were three flues inside it and, without the camera, it was difficult to establish which one went where.”

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service was called to the incident at 4.37pm. Crews were at the scene for about three and a half hours.