A Harrogate pub was evacuated late this afternoon after fire broke out in the kitchen.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service received two calls from the pub at 5.07pm today saying there was a fire in the kitchen.
The emergency service, which has not said which pub was involved, tweeted this evening:
“The venue had been evacuated and the fire had been extinguished using a fire blanket prior to our arrival but we ensured the area was safe.”
Less than an hour later, just before 6pm, fire crews were. also called to reports of six people stuck in a lift in Harrogate.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted at 6.18pm that “our crews are assisting with this”.
November 5 is one of the busiest nights of the year for firefighters.
The emergency service tweeted:
“We hope you are all enjoying yourselves this bonfire night but stay safe.”
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Firefighters and paramedics called to Pateley Bridge crash
Firefighters and paramedics were called to a single vehicle collision at Pateley Bridge today.
Fire crews from Harrogate and Ripon responded to an ambulance report of an incident on Old Church Lane at 11.45am.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said:
“On arrival, driver was out of vehicle and in care of paramedics. Fire crew made the vehicle safe.”
About an hour later, Harrogate firefighters helped to remove two rings from a woman who turned up at the station unable to get them off.
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Questions over future of North Yorkshire and Cornwall’s ‘shared’ fire control rooms
Questions are being raised over the future of a partnership which sees North Yorkshire and Cornwall’s fire control rooms share emergency calls at peak times.
At more than 300 miles apart, the fire services joined forces in 2016 with each call centre able to dispatch crews in the two counties.
It has been hailed as a move to make services more effective as the geographic distance means they are less likely to be affected by major incidents at the same time.
But the partnership is now being brought into question after plans were revealed to close Cornwall’s call centre and merge it with others elsewhere in England.
Cornwall Council, which administers the service, said all options are being considered for the control room and that a final decision would be made next year.
However, it would not comment on what a potential closure could mean for the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
At a recent Cornwall Council meeting, the proposals were met with protests from dozens of firefighters after further criticism from the Fire Brigades Union, which said it is opposing the “ridiculous move” in the interests of public safety.
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The issue has also been raised by Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Fairfax on Harrogate Borough Council. He was contacted by a member of staff at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service who said the proposals have caused “huge upset and emotional strain”.
Councillor Aldred has since has called on North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to carry out a review into the “critical” service.
In a statement, Conservative commissioner Zoë Metcalfe said the agreement with Cornwall “remains in place with no change” and that she had been reassured that talks would be held about any potential change. She said:
Firefighters rescue man from blaze in Ripon city centre flat“My chief fire officer, Jonathan Dyson, has provided assurance of the current and future resilience of our control room in North Yorkshire.
“Jonathan is in regular contact with the chief fire officer of Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and the timescales for any decision and potential change to their control room allows North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to explore future resilience opportunities.
“As such, there is no current impact on our control room’s ability to handle 999 calls and to effectively mobilise our fire engines to emergencies.”
A man was rescued from a flat that caught fire above a Ripon restaurant today.
Ripon firefighters were called to the first flor flat on High Skellgate in the city centre at 2.59pm this afternoon.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said:
“Crews rescued a male occupant inside the flat.
“He was left in the care of ambulance with smoke inhalation and burns.”
The incident log added that fire damaged the kitchen and the rest of the flat suffered heat and smoke damage.
Firefighters wore breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze.
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Firefighters rescue trapped sheep from rising Oak Beck
A sheep stuck in brambles on a steep bank of Oak Beck was rescued by Harrogate firefighters yesterday.
Sandra Schiendorfer spotted the animal when she was walking her dog at Oak Beck Park yesterday morning.
She reported it to the land owner but noticed it was still stuck in the afternoon and the water was rising.:
Ms Schiendorfer said:
“When I went back with the dogs in the afternoon the poor thing was still there, but now the beck was rising, because of the heavy rain.
“I rang 101 who in turn contacted the fire brigade. They turned up very quickly with the animal rescue unit.
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North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log says it was alerted to the incident, near Oak Beck retail park, at 3.20pm yesterday. It adds:
“Crews from Harrogate and Ripon responded to reports of a sheep stuck in wire by the horns, in distress.
“Crews used wading poles, water rescue equipment, an animal halter and a salvage sheet to release the sheep back into the field.”
The sheep back in the field afterwards.
Firefighters have issued a warning about the dangers of fires in overgrown areas as a fire reignited five days after being put out.
Crews from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to Stainburn Forest near Beckwithshaw last Saturday, where a campfire had spread to surrounding undergrowth and trees, causing damage to an area covering 20m by 20m.
Five days later, on Thursday morning, they were called back to the same spot, where the fire had reignited and spread to a further 20m sq of undergrowth.
Posting on Facebook, a spokesperson for Knaresborough Fire Station said:
“The reignition was caused by hidden residual heat in the undergrowth.
“The images just show how dry the undergrowth is and how deep the compacted forest bed goes – perfect conditions for hidden fire spread…
“All this fire damage was caused by one campfire on dry forest ground! This incident could have been a lot worse as fire would have easily spread to the surrounding trees if it was a windy day.”
Photo by Knaresborough Fire Station
Two tanks of water were used to soak the area and prevent any further fire, while crews cut away the smouldering edges of the site with shovels.
The spokesperson said crews were able to locate the fire precisely because the person who called it in gave a location using the What3Words app. They urged people to download the free app in case they ever need to use it in an emergency.
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Fire service availability ‘incredibly concerning’ says North Yorkshire commissioner
North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has called issues with fire crew availability in the county “incredibly concerning”.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire engine availability was classed as being at a “critical” level for 10% of the time during May this year.
That status refers to the service having fewer than 32 staffed engines and other appliances available across North Yorkshire.
The fire service said that “ongoing challenges” were affecting firefighter availability in the county.
The statistics were presented during the monthly public accountability meeting chaired by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
After the high in May, the period of time spent at the critical level decreased to 4% in June.
Ms Metcalfe said that the situation reaffirmed the need for the fire service’s risk and resource model consultation.
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The consultation, which closed last month, proposed upgrading Harrogate’s 24-hour tactical response vehicle to a full fire engine, but only during the day.
Harrogate Fire Station is currently one of only of five in North Yorkshire to have staff on a 24-hour basis.
Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, the commissioner proposed moving some stations from full-time operation to being ‘on-call’.
That is where firefighters principally work in other jobs but respond to incidents when needed.
Ms Metcalfe said:
“That’s why… the fire service invests in the on-call model and that the service uses its resources in the very best way in the future.”
Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
“Our availability is inverted to our demand”
The fire service’s director of assurance, area manager James Manning, told the meeting that the current method of employing staff on-call had led to some issues.
He said:
“Our availability is inverted to our demand.”
The data showed that fire crew availability was higher in the evenings and overnight but lower during the daytime when fewer firefighters were able to be on-call.
Roughly around double the number of incidents happen in the daytime compared to overnight.
Mr Manning added that May also saw “slightly higher than normal” levels of leave and sickness but that the service was working on becoming more flexible in its staffing arrangements.
Harrogate firefighters called to midnight hay fireFirefighters from Harrogate dealt with a hay stack fire shortly after midnight today.
The crew were summoned to Little Ribston, near Knaresborough, at six minutes past midnight and requested assistance from a second fire engine.
According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log, firefighters used one hose reel jet to dampen down the fire and set up a water relay.
About half an hour earlier, Knaresborough firefighters were called to reports of a fire on Harrogate Road, near Mother Shipton’s cave.
The incident log said:
“Crew located an unattended bonfire. They used knapsack sprayers to dampen down the surrounding area.”
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Firefighters tackle field fire in Aldborough
Fire crews were called to a bale and field on fire in Aldborough yesterday.
Pictures released by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue show crews tackling the blaze at 11.49am.
Fire crews from Knaresborough, Ripon, Wetherby and the water bowser from Tadcaster stopped the spread of the fire and extinguished the baler.
The fire spread from the baler to the stubble field measuring approximately 10 acres, according to the service’s fire log.
Firefighters have urged people to be vigilant during the soaring temperatures this week to prevent the spread of fires near farmland.
Firefighters tackling the field fire in Aldborough. Picture: Knaresborough Fire Station.
This includes discarding of cigarettes properly, not using disposable barbecues near crops, checking straw and hay bales which can overheat and keeping farm machinery in good working order.
Last month, Harrogate firefighters tackled five field fires during the hottest day of the year.
Crews were called to battle blazes at Forest Lane in Harrogate and Marton-cum-Grafton among others.
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Firefighters called to blaze at factory in Birstwith
Firefighters were called to Birstwith this morning when a drying plant in a food factory went up in flames.
Crews from Ripon and Knaresborough went to Kerry Ingredients shortly before 7am this morning.
They used breathing apparatus and hose reel jets to tackle the fire.
A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said:
“There was damage to the drying equipment and pipework. The cause of the fire is not confirmed.”
Firefighters left the site by 9.18am.
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