What caused the Grand Pier fire?
Maximillian Vandervort
2025-05-14 23:06:17
Count answers: 1
An investigation into the fire that devastated Weston-super-Mare's Grand Pier in July has been unable to confirm the cause of the blaze, but an electrical fault is suspected as the most likely cause. A report by the Avon Fire and Rescue service said the most likely cause of the blaze was an electrical fault of unknown origin located above ground floor level in the area of the north-east corner of the pavilion. The deputy chief fire officer, Jerry O'Brien, told a press conference in Bristol: Taking into consideration evidence provided by eyewitnesses, CCTV images, firefighters and a detailed scene examination, the cause of this fire will therefore officially be recorded as unknown. Fire investigators decided it was unlikely the fire was started by discarded cigarettes, electric ovens or heating appliances, cooking materials, a gas supply or a naked flame. They considered it unlikely that the blaze was started deliberately because there was no evidence of forced entry to the site or the use of fuels such as gasoline, paint thinner or turpentine, which are often used in arson attacks.
Alda Schneider
2025-05-14 22:54:42
Count answers: 3
An investigation by firefighters was unable to pin point the exact cause of the fire blaming it on an electrical fault. Smoke could be seen from the wooden structure up to 10 miles away. Judge Mark Havelock-Allan found a “high degree of negligence” against the company which was accused of failing to respond to the early morning fire alarms which first sounded at 1.35am at the North Somerset resort on 28 July 2008. Emergency services however were not summoned to the blaze until 7am when it was spotted by a member of the public resulting in the virtual destruction of the Grade II listed building.
Scotty Green
2025-05-14 21:42:45
Count answers: 5
The cause of the Grand Pier fire is not explicitly stated in the article.
On July 28, 2008, Royal Hotel night manager, Harry Stevenson, called the fire brigade when he noticed smoke coming from the first floor of the tower of the main pavilion at around 7am.
It was about 10 or 15 minutes before you could see the glow of the flames.
Anissa Bergstrom
2025-05-14 19:59:45
Count answers: 1
It is thought a small fire began in the west tower of the pavilion. Kevin Pearson, the chief officer of Avon fire and rescue service, said the fire's cause was unknown but there were deep-fat fryers installed in the area where it was thought to have started.
Rylee Stehr
2025-05-14 19:59:11
Count answers: 2
The cause of the fire was eventually recorded as unknown but its thought it could have been due to an electrical error. Fire investigators stated that the fire ignited in a room that contained deep fat fryers. The reason for such destruction was that the fire had over five hours in which it was free to ravage throughout the attraction. But at approximately 1.35am a fire broke out on the eastern end of the pavilion, igniting what would cause the complete destruction of the famous Victorian pier.
Fay Breitenberg
2025-05-14 19:56:49
Count answers: 2
The owners of the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare discovered this to their cost in 2008 when a fire broke out following an electrical fault. The alarm went off as it should do at 1.35am but the emergency services were not called until 7am, allowing the fire to take hold and eventually burn down the entire structure. While in the past piers had been prone to fire, our new building was built according to modern building regulations. The fire system that Sovereign installed is state of the art, for example it has an aqua mist system instead of sprinklers. Sovereign are an established company who provide a good level of maintenance and support. We are happy with the service they provide, the customer service team are very pleasant to deal with and the engineers are knowledgeable. Having a fire or security system fully maintained and supported is just as important as having it installed in the first place.
Ari Erdman
2025-05-14 19:48:04
Count answers: 1
Avon Fire and Rescue Service has announced that an electrical fault was the most likely reason for a fire which destroyed the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.
The service's official report into July's blaze ruled out the possibility of arson, but revealed that the cause was to be officially recorded as unknown due to a lack of conclusive evidence.
Deputy chief fire officer at AFRS, Jerry O'Brien, said: Due to the extent of fire damage and difficulties in the recovery of physical evidence, much of which was washed away by the sea, the Fire Investigation Team had to rely heavily on witness testimonials, photographic and CCTV images.
Garnett Bailey
2025-05-14 19:19:51
Count answers: 1
Fire investigators said the blaze started in an area containing deep fat fryers. Although the fire alarm had gone off at 01:35 BST the fire brigade was not called until nearly 07:00. The judge noted it was "more probable that S2S had forgotten to reverse the filtering instruction after the alarm had been repaired". The pier's owners had a contract for the monitoring of its fire alarm system with System 2 Security (S2S) which it had subcontracted to Essex-based Yeoman Monitoring Ltd. The claim against S2S continued because the amount of the settlement was a "great deal less" than the £39,376,453 loss Grand Pier Limited said it suffered. He said the first breach was in not insisting the pier owners provide the name and contact details of more than one key holder. The second was in failing to warn the new owners, the Michaels, that the fire alarm system had been subjected to filtering while a previous fault was fixed. The judge at Bristol Mercantile Court found a high degree of negligence from security firm System 2 Security, which has since gone into administration.
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