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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Mumbles Pier, Swansea, damaged by fire | Mumbles Pier, Swansea, damaged by fire |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Fire crews have been tackling a blaze at Mumbles pier in Swansea, which is undergoing renovation. | Fire crews have been tackling a blaze at Mumbles pier in Swansea, which is undergoing renovation. |
| Emergency services were called to the scene just after 01:00 BST on Saturday. | Emergency services were called to the scene just after 01:00 BST on Saturday. |
| Police say the fire may have been caused by a spark from a blowtorch during work to build a £9.5m lifeboat station, whipped up by the wind. | Police say the fire may have been caused by a spark from a blowtorch during work to build a £9.5m lifeboat station, whipped up by the wind. |
| John Bollom, the managing director of Mumbles pier, says the wooden decking area has been damaged, but the main structure is fine. | John Bollom, the managing director of Mumbles pier, says the wooden decking area has been damaged, but the main structure is fine. |
| He told Radio Wales: "The fire was contained to the pierhead, the wide bit at the end where they had been working on a new boathouse for the RNLI. | He told Radio Wales: "The fire was contained to the pierhead, the wide bit at the end where they had been working on a new boathouse for the RNLI. |
| "The idea was to work back along the pier, in terms of refurbishment, so fortunately it wasn't in any area that was already done up." | "The idea was to work back along the pier, in terms of refurbishment, so fortunately it wasn't in any area that was already done up." |
| He said police have told them a spark from torchwork may have been the cause. | He said police have told them a spark from torchwork may have been the cause. |
| Fire 'threat' | Fire 'threat' |
| Mr Bollom said: "With the old timber that's there, things can be left smouldering without really realising it and it's not until later on, and the wind whips up and what have you, that these things come to life. | Mr Bollom said: "With the old timber that's there, things can be left smouldering without really realising it and it's not until later on, and the wind whips up and what have you, that these things come to life. |
| "We will need to know what happened and why it happened, primarily to make sure it doesn't happen again. | "We will need to know what happened and why it happened, primarily to make sure it doesn't happen again. |
| "But we're very lucky nobody was on the pier when it started, nobody was hurt. | "But we're very lucky nobody was on the pier when it started, nobody was hurt. |
| "Fire is the biggest enemy of piers. | "Fire is the biggest enemy of piers. |
| "The majority of the piers that have been lost in the UK are due to fire and it's something we are always very conscious of." | "The majority of the piers that have been lost in the UK are due to fire and it's something we are always very conscious of." |
| Richard Webborn, of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: "As fires go it wasn't that much of a serious fire, but logistically, obviously when you're operating over 200m from the shore it did potentially pose us some problems. | |
| "But we overcame them very quickly." |