Crews remain at Salisbury fire

Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service looks set to have crews in attendance at a fire in Salisbury throughout the night.

Five pumping appliances, two from Salisbury and the others from Wilton, Amesbury and Fordingbridge, were called to a derelict building opposite the Old Manor Hospital on Wilton Road at 12.26pm today (27 October) following reports of a significant fire.

Also in attendance were the aerial platform from Salisbury, the water carrier from Wilton, and a control unit from Devizes.

Firefighters used three main jets, two hosereel jets, two breathing apparatus wearers and hydraulic cutting equipment to initially tackle the blaze. It is thought that the fire had been burning for some considerable time before it was reported, as the building was boarded up and the flames could not be seen.

Station Manager Steve Jugg said: “We have the fire surrounded and we are using ground monitors to keep water on the building, as there are still some hot spots. At this time, we cannot enter the building as it is unsafe, one corner has collapsed completely and another is very precarious, so we will have to continue a defensive position over the coming hours. We have reduced our attendance to two crews from Salisbury, and it is likely we will have people here throughout the night.”

Once it is safe to enter the building, a full investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out.

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