Firefighters still assessing damage of Linton Street fire Carlisle

Appliances from Carlisle East and Carlisle West, were mobilised to reports of a property fire on Linton Street, Carlisle, at approximately 15.05pm on Frriday June 18.

After discovering that the fire was spreading along the roof void of the long terrace of houses, additional support, from Longtown, Brampton, Wigton and Penrith fire stations, was called in.

Crews are still trying to ascertain the extent of the damage, but at least three properties were seriously damaged with houses on either side of these having also been affected.

“I had just finished work early and I was just picking up my over-night bag because I was about to drive to Scotland to see my girlfriend,” Said Kieran Macfadzean, a resident of Linton Street whose house was affected.

“As I was picking up the bag, I looked out into the street and there was a gentleman waving at me to get out of the house because there was a fire.

Fire crews were still at the scene of the incident on Saturday June 19 to asses the extent of the damage

“I sprinted down-stairs and went outside, and there was smoke coming from [a property] three doors down.

"I thought ‘oh my God, this is serious’, so I went back into my house to get a few electricals just in case it did get to my house.

“Low and behold, an hour later, I’m watching the firefighters tearing tiles off my roof to spray water on it.”

Kieran, 24, said he remembers the street being cordoned off and seeing a crowd gather as the fire developed.

He added: “It was just packed.

“Everyone had turned out to see the show.”

Carlisle station manager, Mike Clusker said: "When I arrived, we had two crews from Carlisle - Carlisle East and Carlisle West - and our aerial ladder platform was just getting set up.

“We’re currently carrying out the fire investigation, but there is no information at the moment to suspect anything suspicious.

During the incident, 16 breathing apparatus wearers attacked the fire from below, whilst Carlisle East’s aerial ladder platform was used to create fire breaks above, preventing the fire spreading to other properties, credit: Carlisle East Fire Station

“At the early stage of the incident, Cumbria Police assisted us in evacuating most of the properties nearer the fire.

“They did a really good job of assisting us with keeping people out of the hazardous area.

“It [the incident] is just another example of why its really important to have a working smoke alarm in your property.

“Fires can and do break out and having a working smoke alarm gives you that early indication that there is a fire in your property.

“We ask that if you do discover a fire in your property, that you evacuate the property as soon as you can and call us out to come and deal with the incident.”

During the incident, 16 breathing apparatus wearers attacked the fire from below, whilst Carlisle East’s aerial ladder platform was used to create fire breaks above, preventing the fire spreading to other properties.

From above, it is possible to see the damage caused by the fire that affected multiple properties on Linton Street in Carlisle, credit: Carlisle East Fire Station

Ian Richardson, 65, of Watson Street, said: “I could smell the burning and I wondered what was going on.

“When I looked out of the window I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t see the sky and I couldn’t see the opposite building because of the smoke.

“There was lots of noise with banging and collapsing ceilings.

“It was quite concerning, and I could see that it was really serious.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue are still on hand to check for hotspots, and signs of dangerous collapse, as well as fitting smoke alarms and offering fire safety advice to anyone who needs it.

There are no reported injuries from the incident.

For more information on fire safety visit the Cumbria County Council website.