Abbey saved by local people after fire station unable to send crew
A 12TH CENTURY abbey was saved after residents were forced to put out a fire themselves when local firefighters were unable to gather enough crew to send an engine.
It’s suspected the blaze at the 800-year-old Malmesbury Abbey broke out after youths set light to bins outside.
Firefighters sped to the scene from a station 10 miles away because the local on-call fire station – just 400m away – was unable to crew an appliance due to a lack of retained firefighters.
The fire crew that did eventually arrive on the scene from Chippenham, Wilts, took more than 10 minutes to get there. Had it not been for local residents and business owners, who tackled the flames, the abbey could have been destroyed.
Staff from The Bird Cage restaurant, The Old Bell Hotel and the Co-op store all helped to fight the blaze.
The Grade I listed abbey is built on the site of a former Saxon monastery dating back to AD 700. Athelstan, the first king of all England, was buried in Malmesbury Abbey in 939.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters fully extinguished the flames on their arrival.
Andy Cole, assistant chief fire officer for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Of the 50 fire stations that cover Dorset and Wiltshire, 46 are entirely staffed by on-call firefighters or have an on-call element.
“On-call staff are vital to our service and we continue to try to recruit more across Dorset and Wiltshire to optimise the availability of our fire engines. This type of incident shows exactly why we need these new recruits.
“In this case firefighters from nearby Chippenham fire station dealt with the incident. If a crew from Malmesbury had been available, this response time could have been reduced.”
On-call firefighters are paid members of staff who respond to their local station, from their workplaces or homes. They receive the same training as their full-time colleagues.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: “Three bins were set on fire near to Malmesbury Abbey at approximately 9.30pm [on Friday June 3]. It’s believed this was started deliberately and inquiries are ongoing.”