Cross-border working tackles Frome fire

Five fire appliances and two specialist support units from Wiltshire attended a major fire in Frome on Wednesday night (30 July).

A derelict three storey building at the Old Silk Mills industrial estate in the town was reported as being on fire at about 9.20pm, and an adjacent building had also caught alight. Because of the scale of the blaze, eight pumping appliances were needed and fire stations in West Wiltshire were best placed to attend.

Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service Area Manager Mark Gaskarth said: “Cross-border working is common practice, as it ensures that the right units are on scene in the quickest possible time. On this occasion, we sent two fire engines from Warminster, two from Trowbridge and one from Westbury, as well as a support unit from Warminster to help service the breathing apparatus equipment and an incident response unit from Melksham that provides high powered lighting. We also had two officers in attendance to support our firefighters.”

The blaze was under control by midnight and the last Wiltshire appliance left at 2am. Crews from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service remained on scene throughout the night, and a fire investigation is now underway to establish the cause.

BACK