Firefighters tackle chimney fire near Oswestry, walking half a mile to property
Firefighters faced "extremely challenging" conditions late Sunday night after a chimney fire spread into the structure of a domestic property in Coed-Y-Go near Morda.
The alarm was raised at 10.56 pm on Sunday, 4 January, prompting Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to mobilise appliances from both Ellesmere and Oswestry fire stations.
A Difficult Approach
Upon arrival near the scene, firefighters were met with significant geographical hurdles. The remote location of the premises meant that the heavy fire engines could not reach the front door.
Undeterred, crews were forced to transport their gear and cover the final half-mile on foot to reach the burning building.
As the incident escalated, an Incident Support Unit (4x4) was summoned from Whitchurch Station. The specialist all-terrain vehicle proved vital in shuttling equipment and personnel between the main appliances and the property.
Hidden Fire Spread
What initially began as a chimney fire quickly turned into a more complex operation. Using thermal imaging cameras, crews discovered that the flames had migrated from the flue into a wall cavity and subsequently moved through the floor space of the home.
To combat the spreading fire, firefighters utilised reciprocating saws and small tools to strip back floorboards and remove the fireplace. Thermal imaging cameras to track heat signatures hidden behind walls and stirrup pumps to precision-extinguish hotspots within the timber frame.
"Access to the domestic premises was extremely challenging, with crews covering the last 1/2 mile on foot," a spokesperson for the service noted, highlighting the physical toll of the four-hour operation.
The "stop message", indicating the incident was fully under control, was finally issued at 2.37 am on Monday.
