Fire station and appliances badly damaged in blaze
Around 40 firefighters have tackled a major fire which left a North Berwick fire station and two appliances inside it badly damaged.
The alarm was raised at 5.20am on Monday (3 December) with a report of smoke issuing from the building. When retained crews arrived at the station the building was well alight with heavy smoke coming from the premises. They were unable to access the station safely and immediately requested further assistance from neighbouring stations.
Crews from five locations, an incident support unit, a command support unit and a height appliance all attended the scene.
Speaking during firefighting operations, a spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said:
“When retained crews first arrived at the scene the station was well alight and they were unable to safely access the building immediately requesting more resources to the scene. A risk assessment was carried out and as smoke was blowing towards the sea, it was deemed safest to leave residents in a nearby housing estate indoors and clear from the worst of the smoke and the cold weather.
“Our business continuity plans have been activated to ensure that there is adequate cover in the immediate area given that North Berwick fire station has been significantly damaged. Crews have been working very hard in difficult weather conditions to extinguish the blaze. Fire investigation is on the scene but it is too early to say what caused the fire.”
