Emergency services called to person trapped in barbed wire in Harrogate

Police and firefighters were called to deal with a person trapped in barbed wire in Harrogate yesterday.

Harrogate firefighters were summoned to assist police at Ripon Way, which runs alongside the former gasworks site earmarked for the new Tesco supermarket, at 9.06pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident report said:

“Harrogate crews responded to assist police with a person trapped in barbed wire.

“The person was released prior to fire service arrival with no action taken by crews.”

No details of how the person became trapped, the extent of any injuries or the precise location on Ripon Way, have been released.

Firefighters also dealt with a fire at premises on Scriven Road in Knaresborough at 3.06am this morning.

The incident report said a gas pipe had caught fire. It added:

“Fire extinguished using two breathing apparatus and one hose reel. Incident handed into care of gas board.”

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Village near Knaresborough left in dark over fire-damaged pub’s future

Uncertainty surrounds the future of a Harrogate district village pub which suffered its second fire in three years over the summer. 

The Tiger Inn in Coneythorpe, north of Knaresborough, is believed not to have been renovated since the blaze and its tenants, Ian and Barbara Gill, are understood to have left the property permanently.

The pub’s phone number directs customers to its website, which features a pop-up box stating: “Due to an extensive fire in our kitchens, we are not open at this time”. That redirects visitors to a Facebook link that no longer works. 

The property lies empty, but according to sources in the village, cleaners have been in and the pub is checked on periodically.

When the Stray Ferret visited this week to try to find out what was happening, one person, who asked not to be named, said:

“No-one in the village knows what’s going on. Nobody’s told us anything. It’s such a shame, because the pub’s the hub of the village and we miss it, especially coming up to Christmas.”

It is not known why the tenants have left. Barbara Gill is the sole director of MGG Developments Co Ltd, which trades as The Tiger Inn, and the company’s latest accounts filed on June 15, 2023, paint a picture of a business with a future.

It is referred to as a going concern “despite suffering a fire to the business premises during the previous year which caused extensive damage”. It continues: 

“This is fully subjected to an insurance claim which is not expected to have any long-term financial implications to the company.”

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Jon West, a Coneythorpe resident who sits on Arkendale, Coneythorpe and Clareton Parish Council, told the Stray Ferret: 

“The only fact I can share with you is that the Tiger Inn is shut and for an unknown period. All other information I have is hearsay or guesswork which is not mine to share.”

The Tiger Inn suffered its first fire in November 2020, just four months after reopening from the national covid lockdown. The blaze started in the kitchen and lasted for six hours, causing widespread damage.

It reopened after renovation and refurbishment in October 2021, and the Gills marked the occasion by presenting a cheque for £5,000 to the Fire Fighters Charity in thanks for the efforts of the fire crews from Harrogate, Knaresborough and Acomb who put out the blaze.

But less than a year later, firefighters were again called to the pub, after an overheating ice machine caused a second devastating fire.

Firefighters tackle Harrogate hospital fire, A1 crash and barn blaze

A toaster fire at Harrogate District Hospital proved to be just the start of an incident-packed day for local firefighters yesterday.

Crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to the hospital on Lancaster Park Road at 8am.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident report said:

“The fire originated in an industrial rotating toaster, and caused 25% fire damage to the kitchen, and light smoke logging to a communal area.”

It proved to be the first of several call-outs yesterday.

Teen rescued from car

At 11.07am, firefighters from Boroughbridge and Ripon rushed to a single vehicle car crash at Skelton Road in Boroughbridge where a Peugout 206 had careered off the road.

Crews used an electric saw to get into the vehicle through the windscreen and free a female driver. who was described as “approximately 17” in the incident report. It added:

“The female was uninjured and left in the care of the air ambulance service.”

Two-car crash on A1

A1 at Boroughbridge

The A1 at Boroughbridge

At 12.14pm, crews from Ripon, Boroughbridge and Northallerton responded to reports of a Hyundai and an Audi colliding between junctions 48 and 49 on the northbound A1(M).

The incident report said:

“All occupants of the vehicles were out on arrival. The female driver of the Hyundai, aged approximately 40s, suffered superficial injuries only.

“The male driver, and female passenger of the Audi, both aged approximately 50s, were uninjured. Crews used a turfer winch to remove the vehicles to a safe location.”

Barn fire in Spofforth

At 1.59pm, Harrogate firefighters were back out again. This time they were joined by a crew from Wetherby to a barn fire at Park Lane in Spofforth.

Water bowsers from Tadcaster and Boroughbridge also responded.

The incident report said the barn, which measured about 40 metres by 20 metres, contained straw and the incident was still ongoing by late afternoon.

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Paraplegic Paralympian rescued after bike overturns at Lofthouse

Firefighters helped a paraplegic Paralympic athlete whose bike overturned on a notorious steep hill near Lofthouse today.

On call firefighters from Lofthouse, near Pateley Bridge, were called to Trapping Hill at 11.56am.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident report said the unnamed athlete’s adapted recumbent bicycle “overturned while descending a steep hill after the tyre popped off the rim”.

The report added:

“Crew transferred male to a local farmer’s vehicle who then returned him to his adapted van.

“Male then returned to the scene where crew were able to secure his bike in his vehicle.”

With its stunning scenery and steep gradient, Trapping Hill is a popular but highly challenging route for cyclists.

A family needed rescuing from Trapping Hill in December last year when their car got stuck on black ice.

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Firefighters rescue people from car stuck in Ripon ford

A Ripon fire crew rescued two people from a car that got stuck in a ford across the River Skell this afternoon.

Firefighters were summoned to the ford at the end of Firs Avenue at 4.34pm today.

A small Fiat, which was attempting to cross from the Priest Lane side of the river, was towed out.

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North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s incident report said crews rescued two people and winched the car out of the river.

Nobody was injured in the incident, which occurred after recent heavy rain saw the Skell running higher than usual.

The high water has led to red and white tape being put in place on both sides of the ford to stop vehicles from crossing.

The ford has been closed to vehicles.

Firefighters at the scene.

 

Harrogate streets closed for hours due to man on roof

Police closed several Harrogate town centre streets last night for several hours when a distressed man climbed on to a roof.

The man was on top of the Linley and Simpson building at the junction of Princes Square and Albert Street fro about 6.30pm until midnight.

Both streets were cordoned off, as were some other nearby routes, including James Street.

Police in Princes Square.

Crowds gathered in Princes Square and elsewhere last night.

North Yorkshire Police eventually published a social media post saying “our officers are currently speaking to a person in distress in Harrogate town centre” and urged people to avoid the area.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said it responded at 6.32pm. It added:

“Harrogate crew assisted police with a male who had climbed on the roof of a property and refused to come down.”

Albert Street was among the streets blocked off.

The police cordons prevented people from visiting numerous hospitality businesses on a busy Friday night.

Some people were allowed to cross the cordons at certain point to enter restaurants but others closer to the incident were not.

In a social media post this morning, North Yorkshire Police said:

“Thank you for your patience while we dealt with a man on the roof of Harrogate town centre buildings overnight.
“He came down at around midnight and was taken into custody.”

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Firefighters rescue 16-year-old dog in Harrogate

Harrogate firefighters rescued a 16-year-old dog that had got stuck on a path yesterday.

A crew from Skipton Road were summoned to nearby Dene Park in Bilton at 9.43pm last night.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report, the dog was too frail to stand.

It said:

“Fire control received a call from a resident who was concerned for the safety of a 16-year-old dog who was unable to get up and was laid in the middle of the path.

“The caller stated the dog was very old and his owner was also an elderly gent.

“Other residents were unable to lift the dog and take him back home. A fire crew from Harrogate attended whilst still maintaining their availability and assisted by lifting and carrying the dog back home to his owner.”

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Ripon and Boroughbridge firefighters called to factory blaze

Firefighters from Ripon and Boroughbridge were called to a fire in a factory yesterday.

An electrical fault in machinery used to make food stock caused the blaze, according to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Crews were called to the factory at Hallikeld Close, Melmerby at 5.09pm.

The incident report added:

“Electrical wiring was destroyed, some fire damage to the room of origin occurred and smoke damage to the rest of the premises.

“Crews extinguished the fire using one hose reel and breathing apparatus.”

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Firefighters battling stubble blaze in ‘ongoing’ incident

Firefighters on the edge of the Harrogate district are battling a stubble blaze which is being fanned by high winds this afternoon.

The fire, at Moor Monkton, extends across a 300-metre front in a field close to some pylons.

On arriving at the scene and seeing the scale of the problem, crews from Acomb, on the edge of York, requested assistance from two further fire engines. They are currently using hose reels and beaters to bring the fire under control.

The incident was logged at 4.52pm and at 5.20pm was described by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue as “ongoing”.

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Emergency workers rescue person trapped after crash in Pannal

Firefighters and paramedics rescued a person who was trapped following a two-car collision in Pannal today.

The crash happened on the main A61 at about 10.30am.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough responded to the collision, which involved a Range Rover and a Mazda.

It added:

“Male occupant of Range Rover was not trapped or injured.

“Two occupants in Mazda, one of which was trapped. Released by fire crews under paramedic supervision and taken to hospital with minor back and hip injuries.”

Firefighters made the vehicles safe and left the incident with police.

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