Firm’s shed fire ‘like a movie’

The shed, next to the Drainforce Ltd building, houses a water pump to a borehole that supplies some of the site and is the point of entry for the electricity supply.

Drainforce director Cas Lovering said he was in his company’s premises when ‘three lovely people’ drew his attention to the fire outside.

‘I went outside and expended two fire extinguishers on it while the Fire Service were on their way,’ he said.

‘By that time it had spread to a plastic tank which was turning into a pool and there was a ball of fire.

‘I realised then that I couldn’t contain it.’

Mr Lovering said he ran back into the building, shouting fire, and told his colleagues to get out. At first some thought he was playing a joke on them until they realised he was being serious.

‘The heat was very intense and there was a massive fireball and it got out of hand very quickly,’ he said.

‘It went from something manageable to being out of control in about 10 seconds and it was like something from a movie.’

Half of Drainforce’s safety equipment which had been stored outside near the shed was destroyed along with two of its storage tanks.

Mr Lovering estimated that the value of the goods was about £1,500.

He said he thought the fire could have started through a problem with the water pump and electrical supply and said the landlord stored wood in the shed too.

The Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service were called at 11am. Watch commander Matt Roger said they could see large plumes of smoke rising into the air before they got to the fire – possibly when they were near the rear entrance to The Princess Elizabeth Hospital.

‘There was a significantly developing fire involving a shed and outside building equipment,’ he said.

‘The good bit was that it was isolated from the main building and we put a water spray between the two to stop it from spreading. Once we had done that we could start to extinguish the burning shed. Once we had done that we could damp down the surrounding area – hedges, trees and undergrowth. We are conscious of the dry weather at the moment and the risk of fires spreading and we used thermal imaging cameras to make sure that there were no hot spots.’

He said the cause of the blaze was not known at this time but that it would be investigated.

Representatives of Guernsey Electricity would be attending to ensure that the area was safe and then to restore the power supply as soon as possible.

Technical consultant Nick Conway, 52, and wife Nicky, who works as an auxiliary nurse at Les Bourgs Hospice, were working in the front garden of their home in the dipped road opposite Les Huriaux Complex.

‘We looked up the road and saw black smoke billowing up,’ said Mrs Conway.

‘It seemed too big to be a bonfire so went to investigate and saw flames coming from the shed.’

Mr Conway said he had gone in to the Drainforce building and told people that they needed to get out.

‘There were no windows so I don’t think anybody could smell it,’ said Mr Conway.

‘One of the men told us that he had been outside only 10 to 15 minutes before and there had not been a problem.

‘We stayed and helped direct traffic until the Fire Service and police arrived.’

Some properties on the Complex including Drainforce lost their telephone and electricity supplies though these were maintained at Les Bourgs Hospice Charity Shop.

The landlord of the property was unavailable for comment.