Bob Currie is the Group Manager of Derbyshire Fire and Rescue and he was present at the incident the whole time.
Full video interview with Bob Currie here:
Text summary of the interview with Group Manager of Derbyshire Fire and Rescue, Bob Currie here:
He told The Chesterfield Post how the night unfolded and what the implications were as it spread, "The initial call came in at 9.20 pm and we initially attended with 3 pumping appliances. However, we soon realised that they weren't enough and by the end had 10 appliances here, having drawn on support from our colleagues at Long Eaton, Derby and Sheffield. That's normal for this type of incident however, as it was classed as a major incident."
He went on to add, "We are very happy with the way the plan went. It was a testing incident for us, it took 4 hours to get under control which is a long time when you're concerned about it spreading and it's impact on a vital local service. However the support we got from the local ambulance, police and the Chief Executive and his officers was superb, and meant we could resolve the issue as soon as we could."
He admitted that it was, "Unusual to get a fire in a building like this, it's well covered, planning is good and there are automatic fire detectors but fire is unpredictable and you never know what damage it will do."
Fire Officers making their final checks on the structure to make sure it's safe before withdrawing from the scene
Bob confirmed that the investigations into the fire are now completed, "It was a big relief to know pretty soon what the cause was - initially we have to determine the cause and consider whether it's an accident or something more sinister, but CCTV footage gave us the assurance that it was an electrical nature, within a fridge unit that had spread from the shop to the wider area.
"We're happy that the cause is determined and we can now withdraw our resources from the site and concentrate on working with the hospital to get their services back on their feet again."
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He told The Chesterfield Post how the night unfolded and what the implications were as it spread, "The initial call came in at 9.20 pm and we initially attended with 3 pumping appliances. However, we soon realised that they weren't enough and by the end had 10 appliances here, having drawn on support from our colleagues at Long Eaton, Derby and Sheffield. That's normal for this type of incident however, as it was classed as a major incident."
