Dorset building yard blaze causes £100k worth of damage
A fire which tore through a builder's yard in Dorset caused up to £100,000 worth of damage, it has been revealed.
Thirty firefighters were called to the site in Milton Abbas at around 11pm last Friday (20th January) to tackle the flames which had engulfed a joinery workshop, reports the Dorset Echo.
Crews battled the blaze from a safe distance as there was a risk propane gas would leak from overhead cylinders, although they could not save the joinery building which burnt to the ground.
Site owner John Felstead, who has been running the J M Felstead builders and Milton Joinery on the site for more than 40 years, revealed that the incident has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.
He told the news provider: "I just can't get my head around the figures, it must be between £75,000 and £100,000, there was all the equipment, raw materials and finished projects and now it’s literally all gone up in smoke."
A 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
If the fire risk assessment is deemed to be carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.
A spokesperson for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service revealed that the blaze was probably caused by an unattended bonfire.
Posted by Ryan Stevens
