Picture showing the confined area of direct damage to the roof. Click on the thumbnail below for another picture.

6 August 2008

Swift action by firefighters has prevented a fire from destroying the roof of a student accommodation block in Buckingham.

They were called to Harris House, a three-storey building in London Road, at 11.57am. Crews from Buckingham, Winslow, Bletchley and Brackley attended, along with a turntable ladder from High Wycombe and Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's Command and Control Unit from Aylesbury.

Group Manager Mick Martin, who also attended along with Station Managers David Norris and Neil Boustred, said: "The crews have managed to stop what was a rapidly developing fire which was threatening to take hold. They have restricted the spread to about a 20-metre section of the roof."

Watch Manager Jerry Maycock from Buckingham Fire Station said: "The crew did an absolutely first-rate job. I am very proud of them, and of the back-up crews."

The building was safely evacuated, and people were later allowed back into parts that were not affected by the fire.

Firefighters used eight sets of breathing apparatus, a hose reel and thermal imaging cameras, and ventilated the area. An investigation is being carried out into the cause of the fire.