Fire sparks emergency access fear
Parked cars mean fire engine can't access street
A car fire has sparked fears that emergency vehicles could be blocked off from Biggleswade streets due to inconsiderate parking.
The blaze took place in Havelock Road, Biggleswade, at around 3am on Sunday morning.
But despite the quick response from the fire service, who arrived within 15 minutes, neighbours were surprised to see the fire engine take the Potton Road route – rather than the closer Lawrence Road entrance.
One resident, who witnessed the fire, said: "This has prompted me in to questioning whether it would be possible for a fire engine to access Lawrence Road, given that the space between the parked cars is only just wide enough for a car.
"Having contacted the Fire Service they have assured me that their hoses can reach 100 metres and if needs be they call police to get cars removed.
"This takes a serious amount of time and the sight and ferocity of a burning car – as experienced on Sunday morning – fills me with dread if this was a household fire."
Biggleswade Station Commander Simon Marlow said: "Parking in this area is of concern to us and we have leafleted parked vehicles on several occasions in the Lawrence Road area asking drivers to bear in mind that fire engines are large vehicles and need big gaps to pass through.
"On this occasion the delay was not significant and we attended well within our attendance times, and the fire was promptly extinguished.
"However, we would urge residents to not double park on narrow roads as this could hinder our attendance and force us to take alternative routes."
For the full story see the January 29 edition of the Biggleswade Chronicle.
Do you have concerns over emergency access? Leave your comments below or email letters@biggleswadechronicle.co.uk
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Weather for Biggleswade
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
