THe 1984 fire

York Minster Fact sheets

The 1984 Fire

The following pages of this PDF file contain all the current fact sheets produced by the Centre for School Visits, relating to the 1984 Fire. Each fact sheet is comprised of a double page spread focusing on aspects of the fire.

For easier navigation around the document click the bookmarks tab on the left hand side of this screen. This should display the contents of the entire document and allow you to go straight to the fact sheet you require.

If there is a particular aspect of York Minster that you are interested in and it is not covered here get in touch and we may be able to produce a fact sheet and add it to the document. Please contact :- timol@yorkminster.org September 2007

Produced by York Minster Centre for School Visits Š Dean & Chapter of York 2007

The 1984 Fire

Factsheet 15

The Blaze - 9th July.

At about 2.30 am the fire alarms of the Minster began to sound. The seat of the fire, which had been burning undetected for some time, was in the South Transept roof spaces. As fire officers arrived on the scene the severity of the blaze and how quickly it had taken hold began to be realised.

Firemen with breathing apparatus and ropes for dragging water hoses, were sent to climb the internal spiral staircase towards the roof. Their way was blocked by locked doors and intense heat.

Outside, firecrews had succeeded in reaching the roof level by ladders and were hauling hose lines into place. A request for more engines was sent out, and extra help was mobilised to travel towards York.

The fire was spreading. Molten lead and burning debris was falling onto the transept floor, making conditions inside dangerous. A York crew had forced open a door into the roof space, and were met by a fierce blaze. The doorway was the best place from which to tackle the flames, but the restriction of space, the network of roof timbers, and the curve of the vaulting deflected the spray of water away from the flames. The fire continued to spread.

Outside, the fire engines had created a continuous external ladder on both sides of the South Transept, so that water could be directed from all levels. Inside, a water cannon on the floor of the transept shot great jets of water to reach the vaulting from underneath. Fire Control was asked for four more engines.

Firemen working from the doorway into the roof space were withdrawn for safety, to the parapets.

Huge pieces of vaulting were collapsing on to the South Transept floor and the heat was unbearable.

Clearly, the transept roof could not be saved. More jets of water were used on the tower, and lines were laid to draw water from the River Ouse.

Produced by York Minster Centre for School Visits Š Dean & Chapter of York 2007

The 1984 Fire

Factsheet 15

The fear was that the fire would spread east and west, across the corners of the transept, into the Quire and Nave. More disastrously, heat was building up in the high,

timber-roofed

Central

Tower.

Attempts to reach the tower roof internally had failed since access was from the burning South Transept roof. Water was being directed from inside, towards crucial points, but did not reach the height of the arch which joins the transept to the tower.

The worst scenario was, that flames reaching the arch would lick through and instantaneously ignite the huge tower space, creating what was described as "the biggest chimney fire ever seen". The tower is 60 metres high.

The flames, which worked their way towards the arch, showed no signs of abating, despite the gallons of water being sprayed. Frustratingly, the water applied externally seemed only to run off the roof, without affecting the fire. It was impossible to get enough water angled into the roof space to extinguish the blaze. Five more fire engines were requested.

The decision was taken to try and pull or push as much of the burning roof as possible on to the floor of the transept, to prevent the flames reaching into the tower. All the roof supports were still in place, although some were charred and weakened. Water jets were aimed at these. They collapsed gradually in domino-fashion, until the stronger, unburnt supports near the Central Tower were reached. These continued to hold firmly, resisting the water jets, but the weight of the burning mass succeeded in dragging the rest of the roof down, crashing on to the transept floor.

The fall of the roof at about 4.00 am marked the turning point in the battle to contain the fire. The burnt and burning debris that covered the transept floor could now be completely extinguished. The rest of the Minster was checked for further damage. At 5.05 am, two and half hours after the alarms had first been activated, the "fire surrounded" message was transmitted to Control. Fire crews remained in the building for another twenty four hours in case there were any further outbreaks of fire, and to help in the salvage operation.

Produced by York Minster Centre for School Visits Š Dean & Chapter of York 2007

The 1984 Fire - The Cause What Caused the fire

Factsheet 16

As dawn broke the extent of the damage became apparent. Almost immediately peoples thoughts turned to the cause. Various ideas and theories were put forward as the cause of the fire. Three of these were examined: a dropped cigarette, an accidental fire from maintenance work, or a fault in electrical equipment.

Visitors going up to the top of the tower start their climb in the corner of the South Transept. At the top of a flight of stairs, they pass the area where the fire started, although they have no access to the roof space. A carelessly thrown cigarette could neither have reached the massive roof timbers, nor set them alight. Maintenance work has in the past, been a cause of accidental fire. However, no maintenance workers were in the Minster during the weekend, and the South Transept roof had had no work carried out on it for several weeks. This possibility was also dismissed. The electrical equipment was carefully examined. The wiring was of a high standard, enclosed in earthed conduits with protective breakers. These circuit breakers had been activated as a result of the fire. It was not likely that an electrical fault had started the fire.

Having dismissed these three accidental factors, the Fire Brigade considered whether the fire had been started deliberately. Despite investigations by both the Fire Brigade and the Police, no evidence of arson could be found. However, a lack of evidence does not necessarily rule out its possibility.

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The 1984 Fire - The Cause

Factsheet 16

Finally the weather was considered.

The night of 8th July had been hot and still. There was lightning over York, although no thunder. Could York Minster have been struck by lightning?

Lightning conductors protrude above the highest points of the Minster building. Electrical energy is attracted to them and taken safely to earth. In doing so, up to a million volts of electrical energy can develop at the top of each conductor. The South Transept roof had two conductors which were connected to the lead roof. Fixed to the wooden roof structure, beneath the lead, were electrical circuits in their conduits and metal control boxes, all earthed. In the event of a lightning strike, a heavy spark or "side-flash" could occur between the roof and nearby electrical equipment - and thus start a fire.

Tests were carried out at Leeds University. They found that the most susceptible part of the roof for such a side-flash to occur, was in the vestibule at the top of the stairs leading to the roof of the tower. Here, a metal box was fastened onto timber. It would have needed less than 150,000 volts to flash through the wood to the metal box. A small fire starting here, could have spread upwards to the point two metres above, where flames actually broke out and became visible.

There was no proof for this theory. Any clues from the night of 8th July had been destroyed in the blaze. But the circumstantial evidence was strong. The report issued by the Fire Brigade reached the conclusion that it was "80% possible" that the fire had been caused by atmospheric electrical activity, with a 10% possibility of arson, and a 10% possibility of an electrical fault.

Produced by York Minster Centre for School Visits Š Dean & Chapter of York 2007

The 1984 Fire - Restoration The initial tasks were to carry out safety procedures, clearance and cleaning. Protective

Factsheet 17

screens were put into place and scaffolding erected. Structural damage was assessed.

Dangerous stones in the gable end, and at the top of the arch leading to the tower, were removed and replaced.

There

was

much

consultation

and

consideration about the design of the new roof and vault, and what material should be used. The Dean and Chapter decided that the new roof should match the original design, (with small differences) to keep architectural unity within the Minster. The badly cracked fire damaged Rose Window was to be restored by the Minster Glaziers.

Timber had been the deliberate choice for the

original

medieval

vaulting

in

the

Minster. After the 1984 fire, the project team were concerned about fire resistance.

Reinforced concrete and steel which are more fire-proof, were considered, but eventually rejected. Wood, when carefully maintained, will last up to 500 years - the lifespan required by the Dean and Chapter for the new transept roof. The result of much deliberation by the Dean and Chapter was that timber - seasoned oak - should be used. However, the thin boards which originally covered the web of the vault, and which had contributed to the searing heat and spreading flames, would be replaced by a metal mesh covered on both sides with fire-retardant plaster. The roof void would be split into two separate chambers to create a future fire-break An

enormous

quantity

of

oak

was

required. Generous donors from the great estates of Britain, including the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Norfolk, promised nearly 200 standing oak trees. The thirteen massive roof trusses were

made in a temporary

workshop in Dean's Park. As they were completed, they were moved by a mobile crane to the South Transept in Deangate.

A huge crane, which reached almost as high as the Central Tower, dramatically hoisted and lowered each truss into position; usually watched by a gathering of amazed passers-by. The whole roof was made and fitted within nine months.

It was then covered in lead.

Produced by York Minster Centre for School Visits Š Dean & Chapter of York 2007

The 1984 Fire - Restoration

Factsheet 16

Of the 68 vaulting bosses, only 6 survived the blaze.

Most of the others have been carved to follow the theme of "A Song of Creation", a Benedicite from Morning Prayer: "Bless the Lord all created things; sing his praise and exalt him for ever." Six of the new bosses were designed by children in a competition run by the BBC “Blue Peter” programme. The theme was to design bosses that reflected achievements of 20th Century life for which young people wanted to give thanks.

The restoration was finished a year ahead of schedule, in July 1988 - exactly four years after the disastrous fire.

The generosity of public donations, coupled with the insurance money, enabled the Dean and Chapter to both fully restore the South Transept, and to improve fire precautions throughout the building.

The restoration of the South Transept took a little longer than that of the Quire and East End after the fire of 1829. This is quite remarkable, considering that the South Transept covers a much smaller area and is not complicated by the presence of Quire stalls and organ! Moreover, the technology available in 1829 was comparatively unsophisticated.

The "Blue Peter" bosses are perhaps the best known feature of the new work, but there is an interesting memorial to the 1984 fire on the west wall of the transept.

A large crucifix itself virtually untouched by the blaze is framed by a sooty streak and a splash of lead.

During the cleaning up operations, it was felt appropriate to leave the marks as a symbolic reminder that the Minster, which is shaped like a cross, has survived not only a sequence of great fires, but much else besides.

Produced by York Minster Centre for School Visits © Dean & Chapter of York 2007