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Another boat fire


ditchcrawler

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Been for a walk past the boat today. Sad to say it’s gutted inside. Hard to say from looking what the cause is for sure. The greatest damage is at the rear as the pictures on fb show but the engine compartment looks ok. My guess is something electrical inside the rear or possibly the stove although the damage doesn’t look like it started there. 
 

The shell doesn’t look buckled and it’s still floating so the fire brigade did a pretty quick & effective job. 
 

Incredibly sobering tho....Only last week I managed for the first time ever to leave Ash pan door open when I went to bed....luckily I found it due to being woken up by the hot smell...neither the CO or smoke alarms went off...and yes I’ve tested them since and they are fine. A very close call indeed...that could have been my home. 

 

I have pictures but I’m reluctant to post unless others wish to see them. 

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6 minutes ago, frangar said:

Been for a walk past the boat today. Sad to say it’s gutted inside. Hard to say from looking what the cause is for sure. The greatest damage is at the rear as the pictures on fb show but the engine compartment looks ok. My guess is something electrical inside the rear or possibly the stove although the damage doesn’t look like it started there. 
 

The shell doesn’t look buckled and it’s still floating so the fire brigade did a pretty quick & effective job. 
 

Incredibly sobering tho....Only last week I managed for the first time ever to leave Ash pan door open when I went to bed....luckily I found it due to being woken up by the hot smell...neither the CO or smoke alarms went off...and yes I’ve tested them since and they are fine. A very close call indeed...that could have been my home. 

 

I have pictures but I’m reluctant to post unless others wish to see them. 

The reports don't mention any injuries or worse, so probably not insensitive to post pictures - might bring home what can happen (although we don't know the cause, something caused it!)

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3 hours ago, frangar said:

As you would probably lose power to any pumps quite quickly I doubt it would be that effective 

Some sprinkler systems don't use pumps for the actual fire, a pre- pressurized water tank ,fed by air compressor  is installed. When a sprinkler head is activated in the fire area the tank water is discharged  by virtue of the tank pressure. I wonder if you could use the normal boat water tank for this? You would need to keep plenty of water in the tank and maybe a reducing valve for the domestic supply?

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The Leicester Mercury is reporting the cause of the fire as an unattended hob. 
 

It’s a reverse layout so this sounds likely with the damage at the rear. 

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/dramatic-video-footage-narrowboat-engulfed-3805548

 

11 minutes ago, billh said:

Some sprinkler systems don't use pumps for the actual fire, a pre- pressurized water tank ,fed by air compressor  is installed. When a sprinkler head is activated in the fire area the tank water is discharged  by virtue of the tank pressure. I wonder if you could use the normal boat water tank for this? You would need to keep plenty of water in the tank and maybe a reducing valve for the domestic supply?

 I think given the tank would then become a pressure vessel with all that would entail it’s probably not a viable option. Better just to get out and phone the insurance. 

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  • 1 month later...
On 03/02/2020 at 11:05, frangar said:

Reports in the local press say the chap and his dog got off ok and that it started accidentally.

 

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Boat now in Debworth marina in the yard at the rear. only way to salvage is to completly strip it out and sand blast back to plain steel as the burnt smell is to much. I saw it on the canal the day after as i came past on my rtn to Debworth from Market Harbrough.

very sad to see i hope it all works out for the owner insurance companies will be working hard to find an out to stop paying out on it I bet.

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On 03/02/2020 at 15:30, frangar said:

The Leicester Mercury is reporting the cause of the fire as an unattended hob. 
 

It always gets me how often you see a window next to a hop with fabric curtains.  Mine are not far apart, but I have an aluminium slatted blind in that window .

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7 hours ago, dor said:

It always gets me how often you see a window next to a hop with fabric curtains.  Mine are not far apart, but I have an aluminium slatted blind in that window .

I think it's a BSS fail if there are hanging fabric curtains within 1 metre of a hob.  Fire resistant blinds are ok though.

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1 minute ago, TheBiscuits said:

I think you are making up BSS rules.  Can you quote the number of that one please?

Lots of people do. you should see the arguments I get to on Facebook about the BSS and home made rules

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4 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

I think you are making up BSS rules.  Can you quote the number of that one please?

This was what I was told by a BSS inspector 10 years ago.  It may possbly be an RCD requirement.

5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Lots of people do. you should see the arguments I get to on Facebook about the BSS and home made rules

Well I don't. It came from an inspector 10 years ago as I said to biscuits.

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6 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

 

Well I don't. It came from an inspector 10 years ago as I said to biscuits.

No he made it up, just like the one who said you must have ventilation to pass or you must change your fire extinguishers every 5 years.

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5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

No he made it up, just like the one who said you must have ventilation to pass or you must change your fire extinguishers every 5 years.

Whether I was misinformed or not it actually sounded like a very sensible requirement to me. 

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21 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

No he made it up, just like the one who said you must have ventilation to pass or you must change your fire extinguishers every 5 years.

The last 3 boats that have been surveyed for sale next door (3 different surveyors) have had to have new fire extinguishers as the existing ones were too old.

It might not be a BSS fail, but if you didnt change them and they didn't work to stop a fire, the insurance company may well have a good excuse not to pay out.

 

Ventilation IS a requirement of the RCD.

Edited by matty40s
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2 hours ago, Flyboy said:

This was what I was told by a BSS inspector 10 years ago. 

I was told by a BSS inspector a few years ago that I needed and RCD, I didn't, he refused to issue a certificate, I complained to the BSS.

 

We have to accept that BSS examiners make up the rules to suit themselves, it is only by knowing the rules yourself that you can fight them.

 

You don't trust a surveyor or examiner any further than you can throw them.

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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1 hour ago, Flyboy said:

Whether I was misinformed or not it actually sounded like a very sensible requirement to me. 

 

It is however, yet another case of someone being unable to tell the difference between something being sensible, and that something being mandatory.

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9 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I was told by a BSS inspector a few years ago that I needed and RCD, I didn't, he refused to issue a certificate, I complained to the BSS.

 

We have to accept that BSS examiners make up the rules to suit themselves, it is only by knowing the rules yourself that you can fight them.

 

You don't trust a surveyor or examiner any further than you can throw them.

I've had that. Inspector said there wasn't an isolator on the engine. I said there was. He demanded to be shown isolator - I pointed it out to him. He refused to accept it was an isolator.

He normally surveyed GRP boats and occasional narrowboats. A big F-O isolator where the key was a stainless steel handle was so far out of his experience he couldn't even recognise it. 

I paid for another inspector. Boat passed with flying colours.

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