Coatbridge bus blaze

Firefighters tackle a serious fire in Greenhill Industrial Estate

At 0200hrs this morning, Tuesday 10th May 2011, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue responded to an incident within a bus depot at Greenhill Industrial Estate, Coatbridge. The initial attendance consisted of two fire appliances from Coatbridge Community Fire Station however the intensity of the fire and the potential for fire spread to the adjacent Coatbridge College building and local housing estate, led the Officer in Charge to immediately request additional resources.

A further three fire appliances were subsequently dispatched, one each from Easterhouse, Milngavie and Cumbernauld Community Fire Stations.  A Forward Control Unit, a vital resource for Incident Command and Control, was also dispatched from Bellshill Community Fire Station.

Firefighters used three main water jets and two ground monitors to extinguish the fire, which at its height involved 50 buses and was also impinging on the gable end of the college building.

Initial crews were also informed of the location of nearby acetylene cylinders. Special procedures were implemented and resulted in approximately 100 residents being evacuated from the adjacent housing estate. Strathclyde Fire & Rescue is grateful for the assistance of  our Strathclyde Police colleagues in this regard, as well as the local staff at Greenhill Primary School whom accommodated the evacuated residents.

Further investigation of the college building revealed some damage to the cladding on the gable end, however the immediate actions of the attending crews ultimately protected this community resource.

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue's Incident Research and Investigation Section (IRIS) will investigate the cause of this fire along with colleagues from Strathclyde Police.

Our crews are likely to be in attendance for a considerable period of time.