Bank Holiday Monday, gale force winds, a garden fire and an island full of wooden craft and flammable materials. What could possibly go wrong?!
It was devastating to see images of the fire on Platts Eyot last month. Two boathouses full of historic boats under restoration, went up in flames which were seen from miles around.
Only two years ago the old Wilson’s boatyards on Lock Island, Sunbury, burned to the ground. This particular fire, dramatic and devastating as it was, didn’t see as much loss as the Platts Eyot fire but it destroyed the old boathouses, which have since been razed.
A fire on Hamhaugh Island in April 2019 saw one house burned to the ground and another narrowly saved as islanders fought to contain the blaze.
The issue with all three fires is the access to fire services is nigh on impossible. The irony is that these islands are surrounded by water which surely could make the difference be-tween damage and total destruction. We asked the Surrey fire service to comment on the challenges of tackling island fires, but as we went to print, we have yet to hear from them.
It is indisputable that the fire service did an incredible job tackling the fire on Platts Eyot, but without direct access, how were they meant to get the blaze under control? Access on fire barges? Or pumping river water? Is there such a system installed? Islanders on Hamhaugh were able to save a house as they used their pump system on the island. 13 fire engines attended and the fire service managed to transport pumps across the lock and weir to reach the blaze. Islanders used their own fire hydrants and hoses. Thank goodness for that! We would be interested to hear from any islanders who can share their own fire drills. Email monica@villagematters.co.uk. And we still hope to hear from the fire services.
The loss at Platts Eyot was extensive. Amongst the many craft lost was the Lady Gay (see below), one of the Dunkirk Little Ships, which had recently undergone restoration. Thankfully there was no loss of life, but this must be a wake up call to get better systems in place to tackle island fires.