A halogen heater left too close to curtains caused a house fire near Boroughbridge last night.
A person at the house required oxygen and was taken to hospital.
Firefighters from Knaresborough and Harrogate were called to the property in Aldborough at 10.40pm last night.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:
“The fire was caused by a halogen heater that had accidentally been turned on whilst being too close to the curtains.
“On the arrival of fire crews, the occupant had extinguished the fire using a fire extinguisher and water from a kettle.”
The report said firefighters removed the curtains, dampened down and cleared the smoke.
It added:
“Crews administered oxygen therapy to one occupant suffering from smoke inhalation. The occupant was transported to hospital via road ambulance for a precautionary check up.”
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Knaresborough floods ‘not related to condition of drains’, says council
Last night’s flooding in Knaresborough was due to the sheer deluge of rain rather than the state of drains, North Yorkshire Council said today.
About 30 homes were affected by flooding last night and some people had to be found emergency accommodation. This prompted questions about whether better maintained drains would have helped.
A statement this morning issued by the council on behalf of agencies involved in last night’s emergency response said 32 millimetres of rain fell in an hour, which is the equivalent of about an inch-and-a-quarter.
It said:
“The flooding related to the volume and speed or heavy rainfall and is not related to the condition of the drains.
“Yorkshire Water is investigating concerns regarding sewage around St Margaret’s Gardens.”
Speaking on behalf of the agencies involved, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service station manager Dave Dixon said as part of the statement:
“In the space of two hours from around 6pm last night an extreme localised weather event saw the equivalent of 32 millimetres of rain per hour fall in Knaresborough. The speed and volume of heavy rain led to flooding in some properties and overwhelmed local drainage systems for a period of time.
“Knaresborough Town Council and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service led the response on the ground ensuring people were safe. The town council has a robust emergency response plan and this was put in place ensuring people were safe and where appropriate electricity supplies were turned off.”
It added:
“Two vulnerable households were evacuated to temporary accommodation, some other people chose to leave themselves but most chose to stay because the water had not entered their property or they preferred to go upstairs to safe space.
“Four fire appliances attended the scene, along with North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Council staff.
“I would like to thank all those involved in last night’s response and to reassure local residents that the agencies involved will also be on the scene this morning to follow up on damage and any assistance anyone may need.”
High Bridge drains concern
Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council and is also a town councillor, has been part of the emergency response.
Cllr Walker told the Stray Ferret 25 homes on Orchard Close and six properties in the St Margaret’s area were flooded.
He said most residents chose to stay at home or stay with relatives or friends but a family of three were found accommodation at the Knaresborough Inn and one older male was found council accommodation.
Cllr Walker said the town council was undertaking welfare checks on Orchard Close today and was finding out what other support was available.
He added he thought the state of drains was a contributory factor, particularly at High Bridge, which was among the worst affected areas by flooding.
He said:
“We have raised concerns about blocked drains on the A59 going from High Bridge to Henshaws on a number of occasions and and nothing is done about it.
“It’s a district-wide frustration. The council needs to review why this has happened and it’s my view that the drains were a contributory factor.”
Read more:
Questions raised after Knaresborough floods
Some people were forced to evacuate their homes last night after flash floods hit Knaresborough.
An intense storm hit the town and some nearby villages at about 6pm last night, with reports that two inches of rain fell in two hours. Remarkably, many nearby places stayed virtually dry.
The Stray Ferret published a live blog last night giving updates on the situation.
One person commented on our Facebook post relating to the article that they were forced to book their parents into a hotel because of the state of their home.
Two other people posted their homes were also uninhabitable. One said:
“Our downstairs is destroyed, at least a foot of water has run through the whole of the downstairs and ruined everything, the drains just couldn’t cope with the sheer volume of the water and how quickly it came down.”
Another said:
“My parents’ bungalow was completely flooded under a foot of water, have had to move them out, its completely uninhabitable for them, everything completely ruined.”
Cllr Mat Walker, who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council, said on the thread:
“I’m aware that a number of homes in Knaresborough have been flooded. I’ve activated North Yorkshire Council’s major incident response team who are working with Knaresborough Town Council to ensure those affected have accommodation to stay in tonight.”
Cllr Walker told the Stray Ferret he was aware “a number of people have been evacuated” and he would seek an update from the council ‘s major incident response team this morning.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report this morning said it received calls for almost two hours from 6pm last night of flooding in the Knaresborough area.
“Fire appliances from Knaresborough, Harrogate, Tadcaster and Acomb responded and assisted various premises affected by flooding, by pumping water away when they could, cleaning up work and transporting vulnerable people to places of safety.
“North Yorkshire Council and local council resources also assisting with the aftermath, together with police.”
However, the sheer volume of rain caused chaos, with one person saying they had to rely on neighbours with buckets to help them remove water from their homes.
Many comments today are questioning the state of the town’s drains.
We will continue to cover this issue today by putting questions to North Yorkshire Council. If you were forced to evacuate your homes last night please get in touch by emailing us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or send us a direct message on Facebook.
Pic: The view over High Bridge outside Mother Shipton’s last night.
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Firefighters battle major house fire in Starbeck
Fire has caused widespread damage to a house and garage in Starbeck this morning.
The blaze is believed to have started in the garage of the property on Avenue Close, off High Street.
Crews from Harrogate, Knaresborough, Wetherby and Moortown, along with the aerial ladder platform from Harrogate, battled the fire.
Harrogate watch manager Nev Scott said crews were mobilised at 9.52am to what he described as a “significant fire”.
Mr Scott said:
“The fire has significantly affected one two-storey property, and there is smoke damage to a neighbouring property.
“The work of the crews has prevented the fire spreading to an adjacent property. Crews will continue to work through the day to dampen the fire and mitigate any further damage.”
He added the occupants had got out of the property by the time firefighters arrived at the scene, and no-one injured. An investigation into the cause us ongoing.
The burnt wreckage of the garage.
A statement by North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said:
“Fire crews were called at around 9:50 this morning to reports of a house fire on Avenue Close in Harrogate.
Crews have been working to fight the fire and stop it spreading to a second property.”
Firefighters at the scene of a house fire in Starbeck.
Paramedics and police were also at the scene.
North Yorkshire Police said in a statement:
“Police are assisting North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service at the scene of a fire at a residential property on Avenue Close in Harrogate.
“The incident was reported at 10.17am.”
Smoke billows from the roof of the fire-damaged roof.
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Knaresborough’s ‘dog whisperer’ firefighter rescues Terrier stuck in tree
Knaresborough firefighters rescued a dog that got stuck in the bottom of a tree today (April 13).
A three-year-old Patterdale Terrier called Pip became interested in something in a gap at the base of the tree and could not get out, according to a post on the fire station’s Facebook page.
On call firefighters from Knaresborough were summoned to Hunsingore, a village seven miles from the town, to help at 3.13pm.
The post said:
“Crew used small tools and axes, while crew manager Mark Wilson used his dog whispering skills to coax the dog out with treats and a bit of gentle persuasion.”
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident report said Pip was stuck in tree roots.
Firefighters involved in the rescue pose with Pip.
Pip got stuck in the base of the tree.
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