Warning to check your fires - and fire surrounds

[Odana]

This was our neighbour's home last night in town.

 

The charred and waterlogged (due to fire brigade dousing) wreck is currently being pumped out and excavated back on the moorings - they have lost the lot.

 

http://www.birminghamupdates.com/two-dogs-rescued-from-a-barge-fire-near-the-icc-in-the-city-centre/

 

Luckily a.) dogs and they are safe and b.) the shell seems sound as the fire was dealt with quickly. People are rallying round to help. But it is very very scary to see first hand what can happen.

 

Presumed cause was the solid fuel stove that overheated and set light to the back board, which wasn't fire board. This is very very common - just because a fire surround has pretty tiles, it does not mean it is safely constructed. Behind those tiles can scorch.

 

As we enter the season of nice toasty fires, please do service and check appliances, and check the smoke and CO alarms too.

[RLWP]

I remember seeing that boat on Saturday morning, moored at Hockley Port

 

Richard

[Jennifer McM]

How terrible! Great that no one was hurt. The owners must be devastated.

 

So easily done! We lit the fire last night, and the boat got so hot we both fell asleep in the chair. After stirring we went to bed, we were shattered. But the thought did go through my mind that we should have waited until the fire had calmed down.

 

Food for thought!

[john6767]

I saw this on twitter earlier, and thought I recognised the boat. Glad they are their dogs are safe.

[Nightwatch]

When we first started using an onboard fire we used to have quite a large amount of coal on. Nowadays, just a few knobs, and with the fire vents opened only slightly. Plenty hot enough. We used to roast. Now we don't.

 

Easily done to let the fire go a bit wild without realising. Very sad story,very sad indeed. Glad the dogs were okay.

 

It say in the report the owners called 999, must have been really frightening.

 

Take care everyone. Never ever become complacent.

[Bee]

That's awful. I would hazard a guess that Odana's guess at the stove surround catching fire is right and even if its not in this instance then it is terribly often the cause. I remember a friends boat burning out a few years ago, after the fire was out there was the stove, sitting in the wreckage, happily glowing away, with the door and the draught regulator all tightly closed and apparently 'safe'. We really cannot shoehorn stoves into tight spaces and nor can we have a chimney that passes through a tight corner in the roof and its lining and one of my pet hates is logs piled up too close to the stove. A friends house caught fire because of this, just needed a bit of work and emulsion paint to put right but it could have been so much worse.

[Odana]

Police on towpath for Conservative Party Conference called in the fire it seems - them politicians have their (very indirect) uses sometimes! If the place hadn't been crawling with security, it might not have been noticed till too late for the dogs.

 

Apparently the fire still works just fine today...

[The Bearwood Boster]

That's awful,I also recognise the boat as they enjoy having a potter around town at night.Glad the dogs are ok as they are beautiful.

Edited October 4, 2016 by The Bearwood Boster

[Trillian]

I am so glad everyone was ok.

 

We had a lucky escape earlier this year, it turned out that our lovely looking tiled fire surround was simply tiles superglued onto hardboard which was then stuck to the wall. Fortunately the smoking started during the afternoon when my youngest was on board so he got himself and the animals out and my husband put the fire out. It could have been a lot worse as has been demonstrated above.

[bizzard]

We had the fire brigade here two years ago giving folk a chat about fire precautions. They handed out Carbon monoxide alarms free of charge, called (Fire Angel CO-9X, so I zoom they're good ones.

[Northernboater]

Just wonder who fitted the fire, was it the current owner self fit-out or professionally fitted? Sound like a self fit out to make the mistake of no fire board and the lack of space around the fire.