Latest news with #ShropshireFireAndRescue
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Shrewsbury woodland fire thought to be caused by disposable barbecue
A woman has urged people not to use disposable barbecues, after a fire near her house was thought to have been caused by fire in woodland in Nesscliffe, near Shrewsbury on 5 July took more than six hours for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service to bring under service said the blaze involved about 20 sq m (215 sq ft) of woodland and undergrowth at Hopton Hill, and was believed to have been caused by a disposable barbecue."It's quite shocking, it's completely burnt, there's nothing left there," said Ruth Jones. She said the cottage closest to the site of the fire was about 150 yards (137m) away, and believed that the outcome could have been worse if not for the speed of the fire service."We'd have been burnt to death potentially, we are surrounded by the woods so it would've gone from one bit of woodland to the next and into our houses." "Not everyone that comes here is aware of the fire hazard," she told the BBC."There's a lot of conifers and a lot of deadwood in the woodland, and although it's a fairly remote area, we get a lot of visitors because it's a country park."We haven't had a lot of fires… maybe five in the 30 years we've been here, but this is the most serious and the most irresponsible, really." Shropshire Fire and Rescue said that if the public used a portable barbecue, they needed to make sure it was in a safe place, away from flammables, such as dry grass or urged people to never leave barbecues unattended and to make sure they are completely extinguished by submerging the coals in cold Jones said she did not think people thought ahead."I think they just think about what they want to do, and then they think that they've left it and it's dead," she said.""If you absolutely have to use one… take it home with you and make sure it's safely disposed of, don't leave it in the countryside." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Church Stretton garden heatwave bonfire plea after blaze causes power loss
Residents in Shropshire are being asked to think twice about having a garden bonfire, after one fire spread to a pole and left people without electricity. A small bonfire was lit and spread to a neighbour's shed, a fence and the electric pole in Church Stretton, burning overhead power lines, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said on a small spark from a garden bonfire could cause "so much damage and heartache for everyone", a spokesperson urged people to "please think" in this hot dry spell. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
23-06-2025
- BBC News
Greater scrutiny cuts fire false alarms
A fire service has seen a "significant reduction" in the number of false alarms after introducing systems to weed them out last 43.3% of calls to Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service turned out to be false alarms, slightly higher than the national average of 42.3%.The issue was highlighted by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services last fire service began its "call challenging" policy in June 2024. A report due to go before the fire service's annual meeting on Wednesday notes that in the financial year ending in April 2024, the service attended 1,855 false alarms, with 1,100 generated by automatic report reads: "Following a trial of a call challenging policy early indications are that there is a significant reduction of mobilisation and attendance at false alarm incidents," without specifying the scale of the reduction. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- BBC News
Bridgnorth Pride paraphernalia stolen, says organiser
Bunting, posters and a rainbow flag put up to celebrate Bridgnorth Pride were torn down and stolen by people opposing the event, organisers 250 people attended the event last weekend, including Bridgnorth mayor David Cooper, West Mercia Police, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service and the National organiser Huw Rees said although the event passed off without any trouble, items were removed or stolen in the lead up and the said he planned to run the event again next year and "the negativity shows exactly why Pride events are needed in small rural towns like Bridgnorth". After a parade around Castle Walk and the grounds, there was a performance by Shropshire Rock Choir and events in local venues, he said."The rainbow flag was pulled down from the town council flagpole and stolen after just two days, while posters have been torn off windows and bunting has been ripped off railings, some binned and some stolen," he said."This is on top of many hundreds of homophobic and transphobic comments on social media."Mr Rees said he started the event two years ago after experiencing homophobic abuse in Bridgnorth but said he did not want to focus on the negativity as events like his were important and would continue."Cities have LGBTQ+ venues year-round and access to them is easy. Shropshire has very few venues catering specifically to the LGBTQ+ community, if any at all, and the lack of public transport makes access to cities difficult. "This isolates the local LGBTQ+ community from support, but by holding a Pride event here it gives them an opportunity to come together in solidarity." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Much Wenlock farm shop owners 'heartbroken' after fire
"How your day can change in an hour, it's unbelievable."On Monday morning, everything changed for Peter and Alison Themans when they woke up to find their Shropshire farm shop on blaze, which was caused by an electrical fault, "completely destroyed" Wenlock Edge Farm in Much Wenlock, emergency services said."Bizarrely you think at the start 'I can put it out', but it was roaring and you couldn't get near it, it was so intense," Mr Themans said. The couple said that their neighbours had been knocking on their door to warn them about the fire in the early hours of the said they were "heartbroken" by the fire which had destroyed all the work they had put into the farm over the last two decades."It's not something you expect in the middle of the night, but these things happen. We're very shocked and upset," Ms Themans said. Mr and Mrs Themans said that the fire had been moving through the building at "such a pace" but thanked Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service for responding so couple plan to rebuild the farm shop and start all over again after speaking to their insurers. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said that crews managed to isolate electrics during the fire and dampened down the area to ensure it was safe. Crews from Shrewsbury, Tweedale, Much Wenlock, Craven Arms, Church Stretton and Bridgnorth tackled the fire. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
