Sunshine is forecast over the next few days! Every year at this time Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service attends a number of fires caused by the sun’s rays focussing through or onto glass, and then setting fire to nearby objects.
At this time of year the sun is low in the sky, and shines directly through windows, so any mirrored or glass items close to the window may re-focus the sun’s rays onto combustible items, often curtains, heating them up to a point where they spontaneously ignite into flames.
Paul Bray, Community Safety Protection manager for Devon &...
Police are treating a large fire in the Millbay area of Plymouth as a major incident because some of the smoke from the fire is thought to be toxic.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service are attending a serious fire in a vehicle spray workshop in Miller Court in the Millbay area of Plymouth.
Pumping appliances from Greenbank (two), Camels Head, Crownhill and Plymstock are at the scene together with support appliances and reports suggest that huge plumes of smoke were witnessed and explosions heard in the industrial estate. For the time being, fire crews have the...
Having been convicted of causing the death of six of his children - Jade, 10, John, 9, Jack, 8, Jesse, 6, and Jayden, 5 - in a fire at his Derby house on 11 May 2012, Mick Philpott, 56, has been told at Nottingham Crown Court today that he would serve a minimum of 15 years in prison.
He was convicted of manslaughter along with his wife Mairead and friend Paul Mosley, who were told they would serve half their 17 year sentences.
Having deliberated overnight, Mrs Justice Thirlwall told Philpott that he was "the driving force behind this shockingly dangerous enterprise"....
The Police say that they received a report at 5.44am this morning of a fire on the M5 Southbound involving an articulated lorry with a trailer. The Southbound carriageway between Cullopmton and Exeter was closed while the fire service dealt with the fire. Southbound traffic was diverted via the B3181. The northbound carriageway was also closed for a time and then limited to lane 1 due to the smoke but was re-opened at 7am. The southbound carriageway remained closed until 7.30am when lane 3 southbound was re-opened.
Approximately 50 vehicles were stationary southbound.
A young boy explores the burnt-out shell of his former home, examines his old toys, and a clock, then asks you to make a life-saving promise this Easter - to test your smoke alarm and keep your loved ones safe from fire.
This is the story of a new Fire Kills online video.
In England, 500 children under the age of 11 are injured and 15 are killed in fires in the home every year. This is from a total of 7,256 injuries and 187 deaths from dwelling fires across England. Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service remind you that you are four times more likely to die in a...
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Authority has agreed to increase its council tax precept by 1.99 per cent for 2013/14.
The average Band D household will pay £75.39 for the year for the fire service, an increase of £1.47 for the year.
The decision comes after Devon & Somerset received the third worst grant settlement nationally from the Government among fire and rescue authorities.
The Authority’s Government grant has been reduced by 10.3% in 2013 and a further 7.3% in 2014, which means the Service will lose £3.4m in the next financial year and a further £...
Most people have extension leads in their homes, often using four-way bar adaptors to increase the number of appliances that you can plug into a wall socket.
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service remind you that although there is space to plug in four appliances, this does not mean it is always safe to do so.
Different electrical appliances use different amounts of power. To avoid the risk of overheating and possibly fire, you should never plug into an extension lead or socket appliances that together use more than 13 amps or 3000 watts of energy.
The Fire Service have reported that they received a call from a member of the public after smoke was seen coming out of the kitchen on the second floor of Queens House on Little Queen Street.
Two Fire Appliances attended the incident, one from Danes Castle and one from Middlemoor.
On arrival, fire crews confirmed a small fire had occured in the kitchen on the second floor involving paint materials and a small rag that spontaneously combusted, the fire was out on arrival and crews used a Positive Pressure Ventilation fan to ventilate the property.
Three fire appliances, despatched from Danes Castle and Middlemoor, were called to reports of a fire at the Ivor Doble jewellery store on Sidwell street at approximately 2pm today.
In the early hours of this morning a couple lost their home to fire. The property was a thatched cottage in North Devon. Maxine Wilcox, 68, was awoken by her cat at about 4.00am when she noticed that their thatched roof was alight. The couple immediately left the property and called Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.
Mr and Mrs Wilcox waited outside while firefighters tackled the blaze and salvaged as much of their belongings as they could. A total of 15 fire appliances attended the incident.
The roof was completely destroyed by fire, with the first floor being...
