The Secret Firefighter UK

A fire broke out yesterday at a marina in Medulin, northwestern Croatia and destroyed approximately 22 boats.

The authorities were alerted to the fire at 03:54 yesterday (15/04/2024), and on arrival were met by a full pontoon and its boats well alight, witnesses reported seeing people jump into the sea to escape, thankfully no injuries or fatalities have been reported.

Video Credit: The Associated Press

The highways connecting Alberta, British Columbia, and The Northwest Territories (Highway 7 and Highway 35) have been closed due to wildfire activity.

📷: Heather MacKenzie via

On Thursday the 9th of May 2024, a large fire broke out at a chemical storage site in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Port in Thailand, the fire started in a storage tank and spread to an adjacent tank killing 1 person.

The fire started around 10.30 when a large pyrolysis gasoline (pygas) tank, and was brought under control that evening at 16:50.

Officials said two tanks sustained fire damage. Each was 18 metres high and 30 metres in diameter with a capacity of 2,500 cubic metres. The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) declared a Level 2 Emergency in the area.

A Level 2 Emergency in Thailand means an uncontrollable emergency situation that causes damage to people, property, operations or the environment and requires evacuation.

At one point firefighters had to withdraw for safety reasons.

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service are responding to a large scale incident in Cannock, a large fire has developed in an industrial estate resulting in a massive plume of smoke being seen for miles, with locals reporting hearing explosions.

‪Multiple ethanol storage tanks on fire at the OASIS Ethanol Industries in Ambala, India on the 2nd of May 2024.‬

‪Incident occurred approximately 9am local time, and 10 fire appliances attended.‬

‪The incident initially involved 1 tank, which spread to another 2 meaning 3 were involved, with a total inventory in the 3 tanks of around 250,000-300,000 litres.‬

‪Unfortunately during the incident x1 male worker aged 42 who had worked on the plant since 2013 lost his life, an investigation is currently ongoing to determine the cause.‬

‪It’s important the local FRS take lessons from this incident, although they are firefighting, there’s little evidence of anything effective actually occurring other than filling the bounded area with water unnecessary amounts of water.‬

‪Crews should be looking to cool the vessels, but also in conjunction with a foam attack to the roof of the tank to extinguish the fire, it’s important to then maintain the foam blanket until the risk of re-ignition has passed and the tanks are cool enough to hand back to the plant staff who can arrange the next steps.‬

‪Those with COMAH sites in their area should know the specific risks they may face, practice the risk regularly, understand where to gather the relevant information, and take advice from the plants product and process experts.‬

Do we need a wider discussion on the risk of contaminants? Especially with regards other first responder agencies, just look at the positioning of the police car at the end, and listen to the sound of children playing in fire gasses (smoke).

Ghazipur landfill site in East Delhi, India is currently on fire and has been now for around 20 hours.

Local officials are speculating “hot and dry” weather is the cause, but insist an investigation will be carried out.

The Ghazipur landfill site is the largest landfill site in India, and also possibly the largest in the world.

Video Credit: INFO LIVE

Phone enters thermal runaway after having battery damaged by a weight, always watch out if you drop it damage your phone for swelling in the phone.

Importance of fixed systems, monitors and so is paramount to enable us to have minimal activity from persons in the risk areas when dealing with tank fires.

This is an example of when the tank fails, clearly a volatile substance in the tank as it appears to ignite purely from the heat of an adjacent tank (assumption of heat ignition based on visible effects of cooling and fire gasses showing direction of wind).

E-Bike fire in London near Buckingham Palace, important to note the volume of fire gasses (smoke) coming from the bike, now imagine this in your home!

🔥 Do not charge in escape routes.

🔥 Do not charge overnight or when not home.

🔥 Do not use cheap alternative parts and batteries.

Another high rise fire, reportedly the building was under construction in the Torre neighbourhood of the city in Brazil’s Pernambuco state.

Smoke is fuel…

An unfinished high rise apartment block has burst into flames in the Russian city of Tver, the pace of the fire growth is phenomenal!

What chance do we have, and how many more high rises need to burn like this before the world wakes up?

Video via NEXTA TV

A look back at the difficult conditions faced back in 2019/2020 by firefighters in Australia as they faced the Australian Bush Fire Disaster.

Up to 24.3 million hectares was burnt, with 12.6 million of that primarily being forests and woodland areas.

34 people sadly lost their lives directly, with over 9,352 buildings (including 3,500 homes) been destroyed, although 34 is the number that were killed directly by the blazes, according to the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute, bushfire smoke was responsible for more than 400 deaths in total and was reported as such by the Medical Journal of Australia.

As well as the human cost, nearly 3 billion animals were killed, injured or displaced by the blazes.

Footage showing an Elf Bar V**e exploding just a few feet from a small child sitting in a high chair, the child’s mother Samantha Humphrey posted this video from their ring camera which shows the true risk of these unregulated items!

Incredible footage of the industrial fire that crews had to contend with in Clinton Township, Michigan on Wednesday.

The fire broke out at Goo and Select Distributors, and saw multiple explosions with projectiles thrown for miles.

Unfortunately 1 person was killed after being hit by a projectile roughly 1 mile from the incident, my thoughts are with his family, friends and all concerned.

The local Police and Fire Services are now investigating the cause, owners and employees have been questioned but no arrests have been made at present.

🎥 Video by Anthony Argeropoulos

THE SECRET FIREFIGHTER TWITTER TALKS RECAP 🎙️

Episode 1: Post Incident Trauma and Mental Wellbeing

🎙️Sean McCallum
🎙️Leigh Hosy-Pickett
🎙️Breathe Centric Ltd

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1nAKEryqlAyGL

Episode 2: HAZMAT

🎙️Kevin Miller
🎙️Leigh Hosy-Pickett
🎙️Ed Sullivan
🎙️James Grove

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1OyKAVeMwnzGb

Episode 3: EV & BESS

🎙️Emma Sutcliffe
🎙️Dan Marsland
🎙️Andy Holden
🎙️Stephen Mackenzie

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1BdGYyykRXyGX

Episode 4: Firefighting Cancers

🎙️John Lord
🎙️Liam Lucassi

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1eaKbrgoEoqKX

Episode 5: Water Safety & Water Rescue

🎙️Dawn Whittaker
🎙️Tommy Richardson
🎙️Bryn Coleman
🎙️Beckie Ramsay
🎙️David Walker

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1OyJAVLnqmOxb

Episode 6: Women in the Fire Service

🎙️Dany Cotton
🎙️Jessica Entwistle
🎙️Karla Stevenson
🎙️Paige Williams
🎙️Emily-May Williams
🎙️Kathryn Billing

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1eaJbrjRzNeJX

Episode 7: HAZMAT Part 2

🎙️Dave Walton
🎙️Ed Sullivan
🎙️James Grove
🎙️Phill Swallow

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1vAxRvneQBrxl

Episode 8: Wildfire

🎙️Liam Lucassi
🎙️Craig Hope
🎙️Rob Gazzard
🎙️Rob Harvey
🎙️Andy Elliott

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1OwxWYlEoRwGQ

Episode 9: Incident Command

🎙️Phill Swallow
🎙️Dany Cotton
🎙️Carl Boasman
🎙️Paige Williams
🎙️Steve Harris
🎙️Ollie Taylor

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1YpKkwMqAyBKj

Episode 10: JESIP

🎙️Liam Lucassi
🎙️Beth Barton
🎙️Helen Turner
🎙️Ollie Taylor
🎙️Ian Drummond-Smith
🎙️Jonathan Mustard
🎙️Thomas Wardale

Link: https://x.com/thesecretff999/status/1766190300194623657?s=46

Close call for our colleagues in Northern Ireland at the Cordners Footware fire in Newtownards today!

Below incident shows the real risk of offloading and on-loading with tankers when it goes wrong, this incident in Ya’an City in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province was caused when an accidental release of LPG took place.

This then leads to the vapour cloud finding an ignition source, which unfortunately killed 2 people and injured 2 people.

Incident Date: 07/11/2023

Volgograd Petrol Station Incident Overview 2020

On the 10th of August 2020 at least 13 people were injured including firefighters at a petrol station in southwest Russia in the city of Volgograd, the initial fire was reported at 12.40pm local time (8.40am GMT), this later led to a large explosion.

The initial fire is believed to have been caused by a discharge of static electricity as fuel was being pumped from a tanker to an underground storage tank.

Staff evacuated the station before the explosion, the explosion caused a larger fire which spread over 1,000 square metres.

Seventy firefighters tackled the fire at its peak, and crews deployed a firefighting robot which was steered remotely to the centre of the blaze to extinguish it.

INCIDENT OVERVIEW FOR BRADFORD CITY FOOTBALL STADIUM, 1985

On Saturday the 11th of May 1985, a devastating incident occurred at Bradford City stadium, one which will forever be etched in memory of the local community and sports fans alike.

The incident commonly known as the Bradford City stadium fire, resulted in the loss of 56 lives and left more than 250 people injured.

The fire started during a football match between Bradford City AFC and Lincoln City Football Club at the Valley Parade stadium, it was a sunny afternoon and the stands were filled with fans there to support their respective teams.

However, what started as a day of excitement and camaraderie for many, quickly turned into a nightmare that would change the lives of many forever.

The fire is believed to have originated from a discarded cigarette or a match that fell through the old wooden stands, the flammable debris beneath the stands quickly caught fire, leading to an uncontrollable blaze that spread rapidly throughout the stadium.

The dry and aged wooden structure fuelled the flames, creating a large fire that engulfed the stadium within minutes.

Panic set in as spectators desperately tried to escape the rapidly spreading fire, the lack of proper fire safety measures such as fire alarms, means for suppression, and adequate emergency exits only made the situation worse. The thick smoke and intense heat made it extremely difficult for people to find their way out, unfortunately trapping many within the burning stadium.

Despite the heroic efforts of all of the emergency services on scene, and many acts of courage from many supporters who had attended the game, the fire claimed the lives of 56 people, including children and families.

In the aftermath of the Bradford City stadium fire, a thorough investigation was conducted to determine the cause and identify the failures that contributed to the high loss of life, the incident subsequently led to significant advancements in stadium safety regulations, including the introduction of stricter fire safety protocols, improved stadium designs, and mandatory safety inspections.

The Bradford City stadium fire serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritising fire safety, something which unfortunately decades down the line we still see is a major concern when it comes to cost v risk.