Eastbourne Pier is on Fire!

PostEastbourne Pier is on Fire! by **Floex** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:30 pm

A fire has erupted at Eastbourne Pier after one of the arcade buildings caught light at the popular seaside resort.

Sixty firefighters are at the scene battling the blaze after police evacuated scores of tourists and beachgoers from the attraction.

Five lifeboats have also been launched amid reports some people may have leapt from the pier into the sea.

The emergency services were alerted to the blaze at around 3.15pm when a small fire in the wall panelling of an arcade took hold and quickly spread across the two-storey main building at the front of the pier.

Dramatic footage and images taken by onlookers showed its roof entirely consumed by giant, leaping flames.

Dave Clarke, a witness, told Sky News: "The front of the pier is totally alight. Smoke is going hundreds of feet into the air and is being blown down the beach. It is totally out of control at the moment.

"There are lifeboats to make sure there is nobody stuck at the end of the pier."

He added: "People are relatively calm, but shocked."

Chris Caulfield, a hotel owner in the area, said: "It is one of the biggest attractions in Eastbourne.

"It is such a shame that this has happened. It is shocking."

She said the pier was "exceptionally maintained" and "vital" to businesses in the area.

"People of all ages went onto that pier: It is just going to be devastating when this is gone."

Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd, who's office is situated near the attraction, said he hoped the pier, which opened in 1870, was "rescuable".

4/8

The blaze broke out in an arcade building on the pier.

The roof of the building appears to have been badly damaged.

Tourists and beachgoers were evacuated when the fire broke out. Pic: @Danielle284_

Smoke from the blaze is clearly visible along the coast.

The historic pier was built in 1872.

Lifeboats were launched as a precaution.

Flames could be seen through the pier roof. Pic: @Danielle284_

The blaze broke out in an arcade building on the pier.

The roof of the building appears to have been badly damaged.

"If this had happened at night, there can sometimes be upwards of 700-800 young people there, and so thankfully that has not happened, but obviously we are looking at a disaster here," said the Liberal Democrat.

"We are praying the fire can be put out before too much damage is done. A good three quarters of the pier, behind the front, looks to be in tact," he added.

Eastbourne Borough Council, which is liaising with the owners of the pier, Cuerden Leisure, said in a statement: "Our first concern is for the safety of all those who work on the pier and those who were visiting the pier today.

"It is tragic to see this much-loved Victorian landmark on fire."

Sussex Police said no-one appeared to be trapped on the pier, adding they were not treating the blaze as suspicious.

It is not the first pier to suffer from a blaze. Hastings Pier was almost totally destroyed by fire in 2010, and the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare was badly damaged by a blaze in 2008.

http://news.sky.com/story/1310313/eastb ... ches-light

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by **Dig Dug** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:43 pm

Well that's another seaside town ruined.

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by KK » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:44 pm

More like Eastburne.

Last edited by floydfreak on Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Fire

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by **Skarjo** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:53 pm

Christ, if it keeps burning like that it'll cause anything up to £17 worth of damage.

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by KK » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:54 pm

Go abroad and you realise how antiquated our peers are. Good time for a complete overhaul to bring it into 2016.

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire....

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by KK » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:57 pm

"By God the pier is on fire! The pier is on fire!"

Save the arcade machines!

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by **Fade** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:27 pm

I literally have nothing to add to this thread.

I used to work in Eastbourne. Full of old people waiting to die. Lots of park benches with gold plaques with sentiments like "In memory of Albert Gribble - He loved the cock".

Sapped the life out of me for a month (Eastbourne, not cock loving Albert).

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by **Rocsteady** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:54 pm

This song has the requisite energy to convey the shock of bystanders.

In fact, we should probably all group together with a boombox to recreate the video beside the pier.

The pier, and all of the businesses on it, weren't covered for fire on their insurance policies except for one woman selling teddy bears to raise money for war veterans. The only problem is that her cover was due to start today.

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by KK » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:24 pm

What shop doesn't cover themselves for fire? I thought fire and burglary would have been at the very top of the list.

[iup=3520711]KKLEIN[/iup] wrote:What shop doesn't cover themselves for fire? I thought fire and burglary would have been at the very top of the list.

The insurance companies wouldn't give them the cover for it.

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by KK » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:30 pm

God they're useless...

PostRe: Eastbourne Pier is on Fire! by **Skarjo** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:31 pm

Well, in fairness, they seem to have been on the money with this one.

It's Eastbourne pier's turn to set fire I guess.

Eastbourne Pier is on Fire!

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