Firefighters were called out to a blaze in a Harrogate garden in the early hours of this morning.
The fire was spotted behind a property on Albany Road in Bilton and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was called.
A crew from Harrogate responded at 2.58am, and located the 2m x 2m fire, which was fuelled by household waste and a wheelie bin full of rubbish.
The crew extinguished the fire and dampened down the area. No injuries were reported.
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Car destroyed by fire on A1(M) in Harrogate district
Traffic was halted on the southbound A1(M) between junctions 46 and 47 last night when a Vauxhall Corsa caught fire.
The vehicle was completely destroyed by the blaze, which occurred at about 8.45pm between Flaxby and Wetherby Services.
The wreckage of the Corsa. Pic: Knaresborough Fire Station
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said:
“Knaresborough and Harrogate crews attended a Vauxhall Corsa well alight on the hard shoulder.
“The fire is believed to have been caused by a mechanical fault. Crews extinguished the fire using two hose reels. The car was destroyed by fire.”
Firefighters at the scene. Pic Knaresborough Fire Station
Last night National Highways alerted motorists to the incident and warned them to expect delays. Knaresborough Fire Station posted on social media this morning the road re-opened shortly afterwards.
Traffic is being held temporarily on the #A1M southbound between J47 and J46 near #Wetherby due to a vehicle fire. pic.twitter.com/Gpa4PvdDpZ
— National Highways: Yorkshire (@HighwaysYORKS) December 30, 2022
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Resident taken to hospital after house fire near Masham
A resident was taken to hospital last night after a house fire between Masham and Ripon.
Fire spread from the fireplace at the home in Mowbray Terace, West Tanfield, prompting firefighters from Ripon and Bedale to rush to the scene at 6.09pm.
It was the fourth incident attended by Ripon fiefighters yesterday. They also dealt with a garage fire, chimney fire and water leak.
North Yorkshire Fore and Rescue Service’s incident log said:
“The fire had spread from the fireplace and was extinguished using one hose reel jet, small tools and a positive pressure fan to ventilate.
“The occupant of the property was also taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.”
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Firefighters from Ripon, Harrogate and Masham called to garage fire
Firefighters from Ripon, Harrogate and Masham extinguished a fire in a garage on Dallamires Lane in Ripon today.
The garage, which contained one vehicle, is attached to a house. The extent of the damage is unknown.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s incident log said the alert came at 2.22pm. It added:
“Crews extinguished the fire using two breathing apparatus, one hose reel jet and a thermal imaging camera. The cause of the fire is yet to be established by fire investigation officers.”
It was the Ripon crew’s third call-out of the day. At 11.53am, city firefighters were summoned to a chimney fire on High Street in Markington. The incident log said:
“The fire was confined to the chimney and extinguished by the home owner prior to the fire service’s arrival. Crews carried out a thorough check for hot spots and gave advice to the home owner.”
At 7.59am, a crew from Ripon responded to a report of water leaking at a home on Harrogate Road. The incident log said:
“Crews isolated the water leak in the loft and turned off the water to the property. Advice was given to a responsible person.”
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Fire at Fountains Abbey causes carols to be cancelled
An electrical fault caused a fire at Fountains Abbey near Ripon yesterday.
Ripon firefighters were called to the National Trust-owned property at 12.13pm after staff discovered there had been a small fire.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said staff on site had already summoned an electrician and firefighters isolated the electricity supply.
A spokeswoman for Fountains Abbey said:
“There was a small electrical fire in the abbey on Sunday morning.
“Ripon fire service were contacted immediately and on arrival, they confirmed the fire was out and had been contained.
“Due to the nature of the fire, as a precaution, we took the decision to cancel Carols by Candlelight – despite its name, the event does require electrical power for a sound system to amplify the service to visitors, and to ensure there is sufficient lighting the abbey for the safety of our visitors.
“We’re very grateful to the fire service for their quick response and support.”
The UNESCO World Heritage Site is is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England.
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Firefighters called to Pannal business
A faulty storage heater caused a fire at a business in Pannal today.
A member of staff dialled 999 when they noticed smoke at the commercial premises on Station Road.
Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough were summoned to the scene at 8.43am and entered the building wearing breathing apparatus.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log says they discovered a “small fire to a storage heater”, adding:
“Firecrews extinguished the heater, which had developed an electrical fault, and cleared the premises of smoke with a positive pressure ventilation fan.”
The fire, at the unnamed business, was the first of two incidents in the Harrogate district today.
At two minutes past midday, fire crews from Boroughbridge and Knaresborough were called to the A1 southbound near Boroughbridge to deal with a car fire.
A Vauxhall Zafira had caught fire following an engine fault. Firefighters using breathing apparatus dealt with the incident.
The incident log adds:
“Occupants had left scene, believed to have been picked up by another vehicle prior to arrival of emergency services.”
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Harrogate firefighters tackle car fire and three-vehicle collision
Two people were taken to hospital following a three-vehicle collision on Skipton Road in Harrogate last night.
Harrogate firefighters were alerted at 7.02pm to the incident, which was also attended by police.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log says:
“Crews liaised with police on scene and administered initial first aid to occupants whilst awaiting the arrival of ambulance crews.
“Crews stabilised one vehicle to enable the occupant to be assisted out. Occupants of two vehicles transported to hospital via road ambulance. Crews left the incident in the hands of the police to await recovery of the vehicles.”
North Yorkshire Police has not given any details about the incident, which was the second one attended by Harrogate firefighters in little over an hour.
At 5.49pm they were called to Menwith Hill Road to reports of a vehicle fire. The incident log says:
`’Crews extinguished the fire and dampened the vehicle down before isolating the battery and making the vehicle safe. Crews cordoned off the area and left the incident with the police to await recovery.”
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Fire crews tackle deliberate lorry fire on A168 Cowthorpe
Fire fighters tackled a deliberate lorry fire on the A168 near Cowthorpe last night.
Crews from Knaresborough and Harrogate attended the blaze at 11.21pm.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was inside the trailer of the lorry and the cause was believed to be deliberate.
Crews said the trailer was stationary.
The service added in an incident log:
“Crews extinguished the fire using two breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets, small tools and a thermal imaging camera.”
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Fire crews tackle kitchen fire in Ripon
Fire crews were called to a kitchen fire in Ripon yesterday.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue received the call to flats on the city’s Blossomgate at 3.17pm.
A woman who lived in the flat was treated for smoke inhalation but did not require hospital treatment.
Crews from Ripon and Harrogate attended the kitchen fire. North Yorkshire Police and paramedics were also on the scene.
An incident log from the fire service said:
“Ripon and Harrogate crews attended a kitchen fire. Two breathing apparatus and one hose reel jet was used.
“Female occupant was treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics on the scene.”
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Knaresborough solicitor died in fatal fire caused by candle, inquest finds
A house fire which led to the death of a Knaresborough solicitor is likely to have been caused by a candle, an inquest heard today.
Lynda Delf Greenwood died at the scene of the fire which destroyed her home in Brearton in April this year.
The inquest heard both police and fire officers conclude that a candle on a coffee table in the living room was thought to have been the origin of the fire.
The fire took hold thanks to wood and other materials near the open fire, which was not lit.
Fire investigator Tony Walker told the inquest:
“It did surprise me a little just how quickly it had spread to the upstairs bedroom which was so badly affected by the fire that it [collapsed] down into the living room.
“When I was speaking to [Mrs Greenwood’s daughter] Camilla, I was informed Lynda kept a large amount of fire lighters and kindling by the side of the fire which may have been feeding the fire.”
Earlier in the week, the court heard, Mrs Greenwood had had an operation on her foot and was wearing a “boot” for support.
However, on the day of the fire, Saturday, April 2, she appeared well and uninhibited by the boot. Camilla had gone shopping and to have beauty treatments in Knaresborough with her mother.
They returned to the house in Brearton where Mrs Greenwood, who was 67, had cooked dinner. Camilla left just after 8pm, having made plans to see her mother the following day for a family event.
Dog barking
The inquest heard Mrs Greenwood then spoke to her sister-in-law, Samantha Nattress, over the phone just after 8.30pm. Mrs Nattress told the hearing there was nothing unusual about the phone call, other than one of Mrs Greenwood’s five dogs barking in the background on two occasions during the 45-minute call.
The phone call ended just after 9.20pm when Mrs Greenwood said she was going to bed.
Neighbours noticed the fire just after 10pm and called the fire service, as well as rushing to the scene to help. Three men went to the conservatory door and rescued the dogs, while also calling into the house for Mrs Greenwood.
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The inquest heard firefighters arrived just a few minutes later. Police and paramedics also attended.
Mrs Greenwood was found lying in the hallway behind the door to the kitchen. She was taken outside into the garden where first firefighters and then paramedics attempted to resuscitate her, but without success.
The Brearton house destroyed in the fatal fire.
Giving evidence at the inquest, DS Louise Pegg said she felt it was likely Mrs Greenwood, having discovered the fire, had been trying to get to the dogs’ room on the other side of the kitchen.
She added:
“I’m led to believe there was quite a lot of furniture in [the house]… Once the fire had taken hold, there was material that was combustible.
“Camilla told me that it’s rare for her mother to use a candle, but on that occasion she had lit a candle.”
Mr Walker said he had also concluded the dogs were in the area next to the conservatory where they were usually kept and that he believed two battery-operated smoke alarms were not working. He added:
“If Lynda had come out of her bedroom door when she first detected that smell of smoke, by that time there would have been a lot of product combustion in that part of the hallway. There will have been a lot of smoke.”
‘Loveable fruitcake’
In statements read out by North Yorkshire area coroner Catherine Cundy, friends and neighbours described Mrs Greenwood as “bubbly” and that she “would help anyone out with anything”. The court heard she was an active member of the community and in the village church and one neighbour said she was “a lovable fruitcake”.
Mrs Greenwood ran her own solicitors’ practice in Knaresborough and, in October 2021, invited neighbour Leighton Williams to join her as a partner in the firm, which he did.
Her daughter Camilla had moved back home after university in December 2020, but left the following year. Mrs Greenwood’s parents had both lived in an annexe next to the house but had died in 2021.
Camilla described her mother as “one of a kind” and “fun to be around” in a statement read to the inquest. She said she was “extremely capable”, “high-functioning” and “organised”. While her mother could seem “a little forgetful” sometimes, Camilla said this was only over minor matters and she loved to organise family occasions.
The court heard a post-mortem examination found evidence of Mrs Greenwood’s prescription medication in her blood, as well as some alcohol, which could have been enough to make her disorientated or cause blurred vision.
There was evidence of toxic levels of carbon monoxide inhalation, the court heard.
Ms Cundy recorded a verdict of accidental death in the fire, most likely caused by the candle.