Firefighters battle 30m flames in drama at theme park
A BIG fire at a theme park broke out in a toilet block, firefighters have confirmed.
The fire service issued a statement on the blaze at Drayton Manor theme park, near Tamworth, but are yet to establish exactly how it started.
Crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called at 10.30pm on Tuesday.
Four water pumps, a water carrier and an aerial platform attended the blaze at a toilet block in an area of the park.
The fire, which covered an area of 30m by 10m, was fast to develop due to the wooden roof construction of the building, a spokesman said. Flames were approximately 25m to 30m in height at the peak of the fire.
A total of 28 fire service staff attended the scene, with the blaze put out at approximately 2am yesterday.
The fire was put out after crews broke through the roof of an adjoining building and used jets to prevent the flames from spreading.
A fire appliance remained at the site, damping down hotspots yesterday morning, in order to support the fire investigation.
Incident commander Stuart Ruckledge said: “When I arrived I was concerned about the embers from the wooden roof structure catching on other nearby buildings, but thanks to the quick work of the first crews at the scene, Tamworth and Mercia, we were able to stop the spread.
“The on-site theme park staff were also very helpful in allowing us to use a golf buggy to run our hose and portable pumps across the site, and were on hand to isolate the electrics and also answered questions about what was in certain areas including anything hazardous to crews.
“Fire safety officers will support the park management during this already stressful time to ensure that further incidents are avoided.”
Drayton Manor Park has confirmed at all of the animals in its zoo were safe.
Our pictures show the toilet block in the Thomas Land area of the park has been completely gutted, and the park added that a store cupboard was also damaged.
A spokesman for Drayton Manor Park said: “Following last night’s incident at the park, we can confirm that the fire is out and the area is cordoned off.
“We are very grateful to Staffordshire Fire and Rescue for all their support over the last few hours and are pleased to report that no one was injured by the fire, and all of the park’s animals are safe.
“We have now been able to survey the park and are relieved to confirm that the damage has been limited to a toilet block and store cupboard, both within Thomas Land.
“All of the rides remain intact with very limited damage.”