Abuse thrown at firefighters tackling chip shop blaze

The Earby firefighters were subjected to shouts of "scab" and abusive hand gestures from two or three men, first as they were leaving the fire station and then as they fought the blaze at Kelbrook Fisheries.

They believed the men responsible were striking Fire Brigade Union (FBU) members who had followed a green goddess fire tender to the village.

But this week an FBU official denied there was any abuse from Lancashire members and said he had requested a full investigation into the allegations.

Since the start of the FBU dispute, most retained firefighters in West Craven have said they would continue to respond to serious incidents in their own area.

On Saturday morning, Earby firefighters responded to a report of a fire at Kelbrook Fisheries, in Colne Road.

The owners of the fish and chip shop had been getting ready for the lunchtime trade when one of the deep fat fryers overheated and burst into flames.

Shop owner Simon Worrall did all he could to put the fire out himself before evacuating the shop and the adjoining house.

First to arrive on the scene was an ageing "green goddess" military fire engine, providing emergency cover during the latest 48-hour strike in the ongoing FBU dispute.

It was manned by Army personnel who trained a water jet on the flames, which by now had burnt through the roof of the chip shop and were threatening the living accommodation.

However, Army firefighters are under orders not to enter burning buildings unless there is a risk to human life.

When the Earby fire crew arrived on the scene, four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were deployed to enter the building and extinguish the fire using a foam jet. It was quickly brought under control before it could spread to the adjoining living accommodation.

Earby Station Officer Chris Nuttall said: "From the outset of the dispute we have said we would turn out to potentially serious incidents in our own area, but not beyond. We feel if we hadn't gone to this incident the property would have been destroyed.

"All credit to the Army, they were there quickly and had a water jet on the fire, but in another five minutes it would have gone through to the house. It needed a foam jet onto the seat of the fire to put it out."

Mr Nuttall said he and the other Earby firefighters attending the incident were "disgusted" at the antics of the men they believed to be striking FBU members.

"We respect their views in what they're trying to do, but they should respect what we're doing in our own community, the place where we live and work.

"We carried on in a professional manner and got on with the job in hand and we will continue to do so in our own area," said Mr Nuttall.

However, the Brigade Secretary of the FBU in Lancashire, Steve Harman, this week denied any claims of abuse by FBU members.

He said there was just one Lancashire FBU member at the scene who was there "off his own bat" to video the scene.

Some members had been videoing the Army crews in action to counter Government claims that the military personnel, with their ageing equipment and limited training, could cope as well as professional firefighters.

Mr Harman said he had spoken to that FBU member who denied there had been any abuse directed at the Earby firefighters.

"I've requested a full investigation by the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service because we cannot and will not accept allegations against our members that are untrue," said Mr Harman. "There was no harassment or intimidation from any FBU member."

Meanwhile, the owners of Kelbrook Fisheries, Simon and Elise Worrall are left to pick up the pieces of Saturday's fire.

Speaking this week, Elise told how their son Chris, who helped them in the shop, was first to spot the flames at about 9.30am.

"Simon went through to switch off the range and managed to put the fire out with an extinguisher. It was still very smoky in the shop so we opened all the doors and windows."

They believed the fire was out, but a short time later, local man Kevin Pickles rushed to tell them the roof was on fire.

"Simon stood on the bin with the hosepipe onto the roof and tried to get it out," said Elise.

But by now the fire had spread and was close to the gas supply and electrics. Simon managed to turn off the gas before getting everyone out of the smoke-filled premises. They had already rung 999, as had several of their neighbours.

The inside of the shop plus the kitchen and preparation area were gutted by the fire, while a restaurant area was heavily smoke damaged.

Thankfully there was only mild smoke damage to the family accommodation.

"We can't say how grateful we are to the local firefighters for coming out to us," said Elise. "They did a great job and got the fire out, which the Army couldn't do on their own with a water jet on a fat fire."

Simon added: "We're looking at a couple of months before we can get up and running again.

"The shop doesn't look bad from the outside but inside it's a mess and it will need a complete refit.

"We want to apologise to all our loyal customers for the inconvenience, but we will be back."