Eastbourne Pier Fire

[ClassicMotorNut]

It seems to have been under control for a while now, which is good. The entrance pavilion looks a dead loss, but most of the pier looks fine.

[Cfnteabag]

Me and mrs teabag had our first kiss in the nightclub on the pier, I had my first legal drink at 5 mins past midnight on my 18th birthday in bar copa which used to be at the end of the pier and spent countless nights and days on that pier was such a shame to see it burning.

I just so happened that I was down in eastbourne today although I was in bexhill today and saw the smoke but went down the seafront this evening to say goodbye. Although it's only a pier it has been involved in so many events in my life growing up it's quite sad to see it gone

[Wacky Racer]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28573058

Seems to be a lot of piers going up in smoke over the years.....Fleetwoood, Great Yarmouth, Brighton, Eastbourne, Weston super Mare etc, etc.



Wonder what Gulzar will have to say about this, as he is based in the town?

[Dogwatch]

hyperblue said:

toppstuff said:

Whenever a Pier goes up in flames my immediate reaction is to assume it is arson.

Are there grounds for this? Have piers that have burned in the past usually done so because a fire was lit deliberately?

The Brighton West Pier fire was allegedly quite convenient for the owners of the Palace Pier.

cough. TWO fires IIRC.

On a structure long closed to the public and only accessible (from land) via a walkway.

So no mains services.

Clearly down to a Woodbine smoking starling which was a bit careless discarding its smoking materials.

That apart any pier superstructure is basically a collection of wooden huts on stilts with a near-permanent wind blowing, so fire fighting access is difficult and the wind fans the flames. Not a risk many insurers would bite your arm off for.

[SWH]

It was going pretty well for quite some time. This was around 6.15pm, I'll load up some photos from the proper camera tomorrow, have a few from Beach Head too, smoke caused its own cloud line out towards Hastings.

[Dog Star]

gpo746 said:

V41LEY said:

What is it with British piers ? Seem more flammable that a box of fire-lighters !

Absolutely

We should have a separate thread, as per the recycling plant one.

If I was an insurer there are three things that I would never ever underwrite...

1. recycling plants
2. dodgy night clubs
3. piers

[Jimmyarm]

Dog Star said:

We should have a separate thread, as per the recycling plant one.

If I was an insurer there are three things that I would never ever underwrite...

1. recycling plants
2. dodgy night clubs
3. piers

When working as an Underwriter, we quoted on one but our terms were a bit onerous from memory

They are essentially giant bonfires waiting to be lit unfortunately.

[arp1]

Eastbournes finest tackled this very well and brought it to a safe conclusion, what would we do without them

[AshVX220]

I heard members of the public were trapped on the non-burning end of the pier, that must have been bl00dy frightening!!

[dandarez]

AshVX220 said:

I heard members of the public were trapped on the non-burning end of the pier, that must have been bl00dy frightening!!

I just heard it said on the news that fire alarms went at that end and pier staff got the public off very quickly.

Well done to them then!

[AshVX220]

dandarez said:

AshVX220 said:

I heard members of the public were trapped on the non-burning end of the pier, that must have been bl00dy frightening!!

I just heard it said on the news that fire alarms went at that end and pier staff got the public off very quickly.

Well done to them then!

Ah OK, good, it would have been horrible watching your only way off burning!

AS you say, very well done to the pier staff.

[Lost soul]

AshVX220 said:

dandarez said:

AshVX220 said:

I heard members of the public were trapped on the non-burning end of the pier, that must have been bl00dy frightening!!

I just heard it said on the news that fire alarms went at that end and pier staff got the public off very quickly.

Well done to them then!

Ah OK, good, it would have been horrible watching your only way off burning!

AS you say, very well done to the pier staff.

Well not really is it , the lifeboat was in attendance and it would have been not problem to get off the end of it

[AshVX220]

Lost soul said:

Well not really is it , the lifeboat was in attendance and it would have been not problem to get off the end of it

True, but a lifeboat can only take so many people. Let's just say I wouldn't have been happy being stuck on the end anyway. As mentioned though, good work by the satff to get everyone off before the fire really took hold.

[ali_kat]

AshVX220 said:

True, but a lifeboat can only take so many people. Let's just say I wouldn't have been happy being stuck on the end anyway. As mentioned though, good work by the satff to get everyone off before the fire really took hold.

There was more than one lifeboat and there are ladders down to the water if necessary

[Rude-boy]

ali_kat said:

AshVX220 said:

True, but a lifeboat can only take so many people. Let's just say I wouldn't have been happy being stuck on the end anyway. As mentioned though, good work by the satff to get everyone off before the fire really took hold.

There was more than one lifeboat and there are ladders down to the water if necessary

Then think of it as you would taking Eau Rouge flat. You know you are more than likely to come out the other end just fine and all will be well, yet if you aren't just a little bit niggled then you must obviously have no emotion (or be in a 2CV).

[dandarez]

ali_kat said:

AshVX220 said:

True, but a lifeboat can only take so many people. Let's just say I wouldn't have been happy being stuck on the end anyway. As mentioned though, good work by the satff to get everyone off before the fire really took hold.

There was more than one lifeboat and there are ladders down to the water if necessary

The pier staff got the public off asap was what I heard. The fire actually started moving out (seawards). Sod waiting and the natural panicking that will engulf people, possibly with some jumping in the sea below, some people are not good swimmers anyway, and fast action is far preferable to waiting. In any case, the fire brigade was not able to cope with the mid pier when it caught fire and guess who was there to deal with it? The RNLI. Not to say they would not have dealt with any public if they'd still been at the end of the pier, but they didn't have to because of the quick thinking pier staff.

[With these feet]

Wondering how soon it will be before the builders on Hastings pier start turning up late saying they have another job on....

[ali_kat]

Rude-boy said:

Then think of it as you would taking Eau Rouge flat. You know you are more than likely to come out the other end just fine and all will be well, yet if you aren't just a little bit niggled then you must obviously have no emotion (or be in a 2CV).

I didn't put that well, I was agreeing that the staff did well & pointing out that there was more ways off than the one blocked by fire, should it have been needed.

[dandarez]

Listened to local Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd on the tv this morning talking about the fire and he sounded quite sensible.

Seems I was wrong!

Apparently he had this selfie for Twitter.



No, Mr Lloyd, the fire's behind you!

[AshVX220]

Rude-boy said:

Then think of it as you would taking Eau Rouge flat. You know you are more than likely to come out the other end just fine and all will be well, yet if you aren't just a little bit niggled then you must obviously have no emotion (or be in a 2CV).

Ah, now that I understand!