Responding to reading
Unit 2 The Falling Wall
Case Study 2
1)
- Fifty-Foot Jet, White Pole of Water, Water Throbbed, Ceaseless Stream Spewed, drag of water pressure.
- Fiercely alight, alive with red fire, orange-red colour seemed to bulge, boiling jelly, blazing windows, burning into the flesh
- Crack of bursting brick, heaved over, rumbling down, ton upon ton of red hot brick, a hundred solid tons of hard, deep, great mass, crumble, fell as flat as pancake, slammed down, noise, thunderclap, cracking like automatic gunfire.
I have chosen the listed words and extracts from the text as these for me, are the most helpful in describing the scene the fireman faced while tackling the blaze. The words used help me to vividly picture each scene and the vast scale of the fire they were tackling.
They also help me to imagine how they must have been personally feeling to have to face such a dangerous situation.
2)
- The building was five stories high, the top four stories were fiercely alight. The rooms inside were alive with red fire, the black outside walls remained untouched.
- Lofty, by the pump, was killed. Len, Verno and myself they dug out, there was very little brick on top of us, we had been lucky.
3) The huge building was well & truly alight now, the orange-red flames that resembled a setting sun on a hot summer’s day, lit up the night sky and made everything glow bright.
Above the flames, thick, jet-black smoke spewed into the air forming what looked like a menacing fog over the whole area. Hour after hour the fire crews battled to contain the raging blaze whilst desperately trying to evacuate all of the distressed residents to safety.
The inevitable structural collapse was catastrophic and caught many of the of the firefighters off-guard with its speed and scale of destruction. All that could be heard in the eery silence of the aftermath, was the faint crackling of flames that were still sporadically burning in the heap of twisted brick and metal.
4)
Towering Inferno!
Block of flats reduced to rubble after fire rips through the building.
In the early hours of Monday 4th May 2020, Kent firefighters attended the scene of a huge blaze that was raging in a new residential tower block at Golding Road, close to the town centre.
An apocalyptic scene greeted the crews with some terrified residents trapped and an intense fire that was spreading quickly throughout the building. Swift action from the attending crews ensured the remaining residents were fully evacuated and the surrounding area was secured while they attempted to contain the fire.
The controversial development at Golding Road has previously already been in the news after the Health & Safety executive temporarily closed the site down following reports of unsafe building policy code violations being discovered. Since its completion, there have also been well-documented reports from the residents of ongoing issues with faulty electrical wiring being discovered.
The early reports suggest that a lower floor apartments faulty isolation switch, caused an appliance to overheat and catch fire. By the time the fire was discovered, it was already well established, and the resident raised the alarm.
The fire took hold and spread easily to each floor of the building. Quick thinking neighbours were all knocking on each other’s doors to alert as many as they could to evacuate whilst trying to get to safety.
Jason Hunter, 36, the resident, whose appliance started the blaze had this to say to our reporter “It was frightening to see just how quickly the fire took hold and started to spread. I dialled 999 straight away and was shouting at the top of my voice trying to warn my neighbours and set the building fire alarms off. This was an accident waiting to happen, I’ve lost count of the amount of times I have complained to the developers about the faulty wiring system in my flat, I just hope nobody has been hurt”
Meanwhile, Doctor Lynne Jackson who is lead clinician of the Maidstone Accident & Emergency Department made a short statement to update the hospitals response to this disaster: “Our department is overwhelmed with a large amount of casualties requiring medical treatment following a fire at a local residential tower block in the early hours of this morning. The injuries presented have mainly been varying degrees of burns and effects of smoke inhalation. We are transporting our most critical patients to specialist burn units across the country as soon as they are stable”
A full investigation into the cause of this devasting fire is already underway, and the forensic investigation specialists are already on scene waiting to get the all-clear from the chief fire officer to enter the site which is estimated to take longer than usual due to the scale of the damage to the structure.
5)
Kent firefighters attended the scene of a huge blaze that was raging in a new residential tower block at Golding Road, close to the town centre.
An apocalyptic scene greeted the crews with some terrified residents trapped and an intense fire that was spreading quickly throughout the building
Since its completion, there have also been well-documented reports from the residents of ongoing issues with faulty electrical wiring being discovered.
The early reports suggest that a lower floor apartments faulty isolation switch, caused an appliance to overheat and catch fire. By the time the fire was discovered, it was already well established, and the resident raised the alarm.
Our department is overwhelmed with a large amount of casualties
- Kent firefighters attended the scene of a huge blaze that was raging in a new residential tower block at Golding Road, close to the town centre. An apocalyptic scene greeted the crews with some terrified residents trapped and an intense fire that was spreading quickly throughout the building.
Since its completion, there have also been well-documented reports from the residents of ongoing issues with faulty electrical wiring being discovered. The early reports suggest that a lower floor apartments faulty isolation switch, caused an appliance to overheat and catch fire. By the time the fire was discovered, it was already well established, and the resident raised the alarm.
6)
NO KIDDING : Mum talks about difficult life in lockdown with children.
TOO HOT TO HANDLE : Third of earths population could live in brutal Sahara heat by 2070.
SEAS THE DAY : Families take walks on the beach.
HAIRY SITUATION : Hairdressers cause controversy by working at home during lockdown.
BANANA DRAMA : Family find world’s deadliest spider in their Tesco Banana’s
7)
TOWERING INFERNO
DEATH TOWER
FAULTY TOWER
BLAZING BLOCK
8)
KILLED IN ACTION
Brave firefighter loses life following building collapse during South London blaze.
Fire-crews were dispatched to a key manufacturing warehouse fire yesterday evening in Lambeth, following a bombing raid in the area. Faced with an intense blaze, the crews battled to bring the blaze under control, but the ferocity of the flames was almost impossible to deal with.
Alarmingly, the main front structure of building collapsed, trapping several of the crewmembers. Miraculously, in the search for survivors, two crew members were found with only minor injuries despite being buried under piles of steel and rubble. They had been protected by a steel window-frame that had surrounded them at the crucial time of collapse.
Sadly, firefighter Lofty Briggs, 41 of Lewisham was sadly killed instantly by collapsing building while he was manning a water pump.
Chief Fire Officer Harrold Bundy had this to say: “We are devastated to confirm the death of one of our crew members following the collapse of a structure while tackling a warehouse fire today in Lambeth. Fireman Briggs leaves behind a wife and two children who we will ensure, are well looked after at this difficult time. Due to the bomb & fire damage to the building, the risks were higher, and our valued crew member has made the ultimate sacrifice in service”.
A full internal review of the safety operational training of the crew tackling the fire, will take place shortly.
