Blast from the past

PHOTOS: SHROPSHIRE STAR

HUGE ARMY ORDNANCE DEPOT BLAZE, DONNINGTON, UK—1983

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1. The fire scattered ash containing asbestos for 15 square miles around Telford.

2. Aerial shot of the facility under fire.

3. Firefighters attempting to control the blaze. BARRY LEE OAM

Built in 1936, the Donnington Central Ordnance Depot near Telford in Yorkshire was one of the largest military store complexes in Europe.

Occupying some 40,000 square metres on a 140-hectare site, this highdensity warehouse was the principal distribution centre for technical and mechanical transport spares for the British army.

It was constructed on an unprotected steel frame, with masonry and bitumen-covered sheet metal walls. The north light roofing consisted of bitumen-covered corrugated metal sheet underdrawn with plasterboard and backed with aluminium foil. It was unsprinklered and uncompartmented but had been retrofitted during the 1970s with automatic roof vents and additional exits.

Stored items included electrical, instrument and vehicle components with a small quantity of cloth rolls and uniforms. These were accommodated on nine levels of fixed open metal racking extending from floor level to the roof underside—a height of ten metres. Platforms were provided at each level by loose wooden pallets, on which goods were stacked either loose or in cardboard or timber containers.

At around 10 am on 23 June 1983, an employee noticed fire involving a small section of stock. She alerted others—one person operated the fire alarm while another used a water fire extinguisher, but to no avail. By this time, the fire was burning from the lowest level of storage almost to the roof.

The army fire service was alerted at 10.08 am and arrived in two minutes, with two pumping appliances. The Shropshire fire brigade was called five minutes later—more than ten minutes after the fire was discovered. Very soon, fire engulfed the entire building.

Asbestos had been used in the construction of the original building so, with fire debris spread over a wide area, specialist teams had to undertake urgent decontamination operations.

A total of 150 firefighters used 17 jets, eight ground monitors, a hydraulic platform and a turntable ladder monitor. It took almost five hours to bring the blaze under control and damping down took a further 24 hours. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but the loss of building and contents was recorded at a staggering £169 M. The cause was listed as unknown, although arson could not be ruled out.

Four points were cited concerning the spread of fire and extent of damage: „ In view of the fire loading, the size of the premises and the construction of the roof, it was inevitable that once a fire was established it would be virtually impossible to control. „ The provision of roof ventilators had no apparent effect on the development of the fire. „ To have been effective, a sprinkler system would have been needed on each level of storage. „ The provision of compartmentation would have been the most effective way of reducing the size and cost of the fire.

At the time, the Donnington blaze was described by Fire Prevention magazine as “Britain’s most costly ever”. The UK Fire Protection Association pointed out, “The loss in this fire was exceptional, but it could have been prevented by basic fire protection measures—sprinklers and compartmentation—which should be provided in all large warehouses.”