059. The Progression Centre in Hemel Hempstead goes up in Flames 2019-01-09 (4K)

Date 9th Jan 2019 & this is really a historical record video.
So I was at work at UTC Aerospace Systems, residing in the leased Technology House building on the corner of Maylands Ave & Mark Rd, on Hemel Hempstead’s main industrial area (do you remember the massive Buncefield Oil Depot blast & fire of 2005 ?). It was around 4pm & I was about to go home, when guys in the office started all crowding around the windows at the other end of the office to me.
Yet another fire appeared to be smouldering, with what appeared to be steam or pale smoke rising from the roof of the building across the way. I filmed as much of it as I could, before we were all asked to go home. At the time, I had no idea what the burning building was or called; I do now (see below).
Banter around the window suggested it was probably an electrical fire from an Air Conditioning Unit (AC) or similar in the roof space (turn your volume up so to hear what we are saying). We are all engineers of one sort or another, so reasonably intelligent.
One KZbin comment has suggested mice chewing the wires, but that thought triggered in me a far more likely cause. Hemel is right in the small area around the nearby town of Tring, where back in 1902, the 2nd Baron - Walter Rothchild (Banker & Zoologist) released the adorable but destructive Edible Dormouse, known as a Glis Glis. They are still around & love living in lofts chewing stuff.
I didn’t upload the film to KZbin at the time because I thought it a bit sensationalist and disrespectful to those evacuating the building who had probably just lost their jobs !
Ironically, due to our Company soon moving site to Solihull nr Birmingham (hence Technology House now being deserted), I too lost my job at the end of March of that same year (yay, that was a good thing, not bad). However, I never got to see what happened to the badly fire damaged building next door & it faded from my mind.
Whilst searching my archive of videos for my next KZbin project, I found the original video, so went onto Google Maps to pinpoint the building’s position on Mark Road to view the Google Car’s latest image. What I saw was interesting enough for me to drive back to the site (early Feb 2023) & do an update video to complete a story.
Starring :
Unit-1 The Progression Centre :
Then occupied by The Tenancy Deposit Scheme.
Now (2023) occupied by Academia (the Technology Group).
On Google Maps : www.google.co....
Also Featuring :
Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service - Hemel Hempstead Fire Brigade.
Technology House - where I worked.
A noisy Rookery in the trees behind.
Venue :
Unit 1, The Progression Centre, Mark Road, Industrial Estate, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England.
Filming :
Camera - Sony Xperia Z5 smartphone.
Fire sequence filmed from Technology House next door.
Video creation :
Software - Microsoft HD Movie Maker PRO.
Background sounds :
• freesound - 565593__postproddog__fire-engine-with-siren-passes.MP3 file by postproddog
freesound.org/...
• freesound - 612277__robinhood76__10835-big-fire-loop.WAV file by robinhood76 freesound.org/...
• freesound - 96377__juskiddink__rooks.WAV file by juskiddink
freesound.org/...

[@kenhoneyman8060]

Everyone in your office should join the Fire Service as you all seem to know better than the trained Fire Fighters who put their lives at risk every time they are called out instead of being Armchair Fire Fighters . As an active Fire Fighter it is annoying how everyone knows better than us Fire Fighters . It’s amazing how people always find fault in what we do instead of saying that we did a good job and no one lost their lives .

[@andrewdking]

We are just people being people. I bet you are no different in various situations. Its called Gallows Humour - Google it. Without the banter around me, the video would lose a lot of its interest. From a filming point of view it does look as if only one appliance is attending and no firemen are on our side of the building. So on face value, the fire brigade doesn't seem to be doing much, even if they were (out of sight).

[@AlexAlexon3897]

@@andrewdking: I'm sure there was plentiful "banter" at public hangings.

[@b.sturges3314]

I would have to agree with Mr. King on this fire, I didn't see any hand lines or ff s in the building hosing those floors, They should of had that ladder platform truck there as soon as the first ffs arrived to radio in conditions. Any public job- Firefighters Police Ambulance Trash haulers water departments workers are all fair game in being made fun of or with, Everyone is an arm chair pro with better ideas of how we should of done this or that, Hell even in our Company we would make cracks at every rookie and every other houses in the city! No one ever laughed when we were putting out their homes or barns or saving their lives from terrible car wrecks. From a retired Firefighter in the good 'ol USA

[@andrewdking]

@@AlexAlexon3897 Yeah, that explains it pretty well.

[@AlexAlexon3897]

@@andrewdking: Thank you. Sorry to have been quite blunt though. My dad came from Watford after all! 🙂

[@nevillemason6791]

It's a very modern building and yet the roof void is not divided into smaller units to prevent the fire spreading to such a large area of the roof (and make firefighting considerably easier). Even the fire break that did exist wasn't that effective. Building regulations still seem to be far too lax to prevent unnecessary damage.

[@andrewdking]

The Government got rid of Clark of Works, so buildings aren't checked as well as they once were. My Dad's best mate was a Government Clark of Works and I'm named after him, Andy

[@andrewdking]

@Jens Nobel Some great but unfortunate stories you have told us there 👍 Lithium fires are very bad news. A very good reason NOT to get an electric car. Water makes the fire worse, so can't be extinguished by conventional methods. If you are trapped in one and a fire start, yer dead ! That's probably why the fire brigade didn't try to put the original building out, just protect the one next to it.

[@andrewdking]

@Jens Nobel Wow, near total destruction then. The sooner the new aluminium - graphene batteries get perfected the better then. Don't invest in a lithium based industry, their time is numbered !

[@Biffo1262]

One phrase says it all. Framed buildings. Once the integrity of the inner wall is breached, which it pretty well is before the building is even completed, then as soon as a fire gets into any cavity the building is doomed. Nothing would encourage me to live in a framed house. I'd love in tent first.

[@andrewdking]

@@Biffo1262 Did you not watch the video to the end. It gets repaired as good as new. No stud or cavity walls obvious in its build. The outside walls look like metal to me and don't get touched. Only the roof space looks as if built like a house with wooden rafters and no fire breaks along its length.

[@bazza945]

Thanks, especially for the post fire update. Sympathy for the redundancy, been there too, in the early ninties.

[@andrewdking]

No need to sympathise, redundancy had a silver lining, the result of excellent Union to Management former agreements 👍😃

[@MailmanWilly79]

Yank here. Is "redundancy" the same as we call "laid off"?

[@andrewdking]

@@MailmanWilly79 No, laid off is normally temporary e.g. like the Covid Furlough scheme, whereas being made redundant is permanent. Redundancy is like being sacked but for business reasons, not misconduct, hence one normally receives financial compensation based upon years worked there etc

[@silvercoinedge8228]

It was frightening to see how fast that fire ripped through the roof and totally gutted most of the building. I seriously thought that they would simply bring a wrecking ball to the ruins. It looked beyond repair. It was nice to see that they didn't demolish it. That the building was saved and given a new lease of life. A Phenix raised from the ashes. Great video by the way.

[@andrewdking]

Thanks 👍 The roof area was very poor design, but the inhabited areas were obviously soundly designed.

[@airspeed_alive]

Thanks for the update also, astonishing how the rebuilt it back to as no one would ever know there had been a fire there! Sorry for the redundancy!

[@andrewdking]

Yes, its the rebuild which triggered me into making the video as there was now a story in it, i.e. an ending. I added one of my photos to the Google Maps entry for the building, well the company now leasing said Unit 1. I always add a bit of spiel to my photos, so mentioned the fire and where this video shows it. I suspect the current company in the building has no idea of its history. They do now 😄 Redundancy - very good for me. It triggered the full company final salary pension scheme years before my retirement age, so I don't have to work any more. Just brilliant 😁

[@john_smith1471]

Good quality steady picture and recorded correctly with the camera on landscape, so many people film with the camera the wrong way round with lots of material cropped off, Ref the aerial ladder appliances that some have commented on, checking info, Hertfordshire has two ALPs one at Watford (20 minutes) the other at Stevenage (30 minutes) In addition sometimes an ALP might be off the run, so the next nearest is mobilised which could also be from over the border in a different county. Those cars were lucky saved by the wind direction.

[@andrewdking]

I like comments like yours. Indeed, I know exactly how to film; read my Profile. Phone is purchased specifically because it is considered best for filming video. It's a Sony cus their big movie camera technology is built into their phones. Their next one is now going to be referred to as a camera with a phone app 😁. Not cheap though. Yes, the wind was in the carparks favour, blowing back at the firemen on the far side out of our sight. An ALP as you called it, turned up carpark side the next day as per the stills photos and oops, one was taken in portrait 😞

[@terencefitz7995]

, first priority is protect life then property these firefighters know what they are doing

[@matt37032]

People are quick to point out why the fire brigade ain't just chucking water on it, but have people thought about when they do open the water up the flames will be going everywhere you have cars and people moving about. The roof was well lit anyway, the need a couple of Ariel platforms there to attack it from above

[@eiupanther2012]

haha, how is it that the fire department was already there before people left the building... what were they doing inside still?

[@andrewdking]

That's indeed a very very good point 🤔 But I can't answer it, sorry 🤷

[@CDB8939]

They were already out, they were just going home

[@Orcaben1]

My father was at buncefield, i still remember to this day the evening he was called out, the week or so that he was only allowed to come home to get some food and sleep then had to go back out to relieve another team. Because of his rank, he was able to take me around the site after it was all extinguished and sectioned off, to this day i still remember the way it all looked. Then, they closed the local firestation for budget cuts even though we were in the highest risk category for fires and even N10 got involved but they still closed it in the end haha. I always feel bad for every firefighter in the UK. The government just seems to do whatever it wants nowadays! Thanks for sharing this clip, i'll send it on over to my father and see what he says! XD

[@andrewdking]

So what Station got closed, because Hemel is still open ? My mate's elder brother James Bowler also was also at Buncefield

[@Orcaben1]

@@andrewdking Bovingdon Station, was near the airfield. Yes hemel is still open, my father still works out of there i think but no longer on blue lights (too old 😂)

[@andrewdking]

@@Orcaben1 That is/was my local Fire Station, now just an extension of the Memorial Hall. I probably know your Father. Included in the crew was butcher Andy Fyfe and electrical shop owner Pat Parish, basically all the Bovingdon shop owners. Bovingdon crew were volunteers. I thought the station was already closed down by the time of Buncefield 🤷

[@andrewdking]

Update. I've just been talking to Andy Fife. He said, not him, was his elder brother Jamie. But the only member who stayed as a fireman was Kevin Horwood (of the village bakery). So that makes you his son Matthew - Yes ? Also and very surprisingly, Bovingdon's fire engine was the first on the scene Andy told me ! Then he sold me a book on the history of Bovingdon Fire Station called unsurprisingly, Bovingdon Fire Station 🙄

[@Orcaben1]

@@andrewdking 😂😂😂 yes i know of both of them🤣small world! Not quite 😉 Mathew is one of his brothers who's not a fireman. I am his son indeed yes but my names Ben😉 Yup, Bovingdon fire station had some of the best response times, most call outs and hardest workers but they still closed it 😂 haha yes, not the most excitingly interesting name but at least it's original! There's 2 books of interest that came out from that station, 1 was the book your talking about, about the station and the occupants and the other was a book specifically about buncefield and the station and the occupants that responded to it. Both are pretty decent books tbf!

[@fireworksmuseum]

Amazing how quick that fire evolved. You probably can't fight a blaze like that at this point. Even with multiple units arriving.

[@andrewdking]

Yes, you've stated what most people miss, they saying the fire brigade aren't doing much. 👍

[@SuperBarnaby12]

Andrew that’s a very professional video well done you. Sorry to hear about your redundancy if i owned a company I would give you a job. You sound like a very level headed person and intelligent to boot. Hope you are now employed in a better company. ❤

[@andrewdking]

Thank you very much. It takes a few days to edit and process each video. Redundancy - very good for me. It triggered the full company final salary pension scheme years before my retirement age, so I don't have to work any more. Just brilliant 😁 I act as an unpaid consultant for BSI just to keep my hand in within the Aerospace industry.

[@briankelly5816]

And Andrew I never realised you were made redundant being as it was the other building that went up in flames I'm sorry but though it was independent to your side. I'm glad it all worked out and again I'm sorry you took my comments the wrong way!!

[@andrewdking]

@@briankelly5816 I took your comments the wrong way 🤷 can't say I can recall. The burning building has nothing to do with my company, just happened to be next door. My redundancy had nothing to do with it either, and as explained in the Description Section, it was a good thing as I no longer need to work 😁👍

[@briankelly5816]

@Andrew D King its fine. Don't worry, and I thought it was part of your company, so I apologise to you for the mistake on that comment. I'm glad this is sorted all the best for the future!! And that's straight from the heart

[@lilianmackenzie4248]

What took them so long to evacuate the building. Building well alight and fire brigade on site before the employees came out.

[@andrewdking]

Yes, strange that I agree. We don't know, sorry.

[@DimensionDude]

As an American, the thing that I find interesting is that on the sign, the floorspace is given in square feet with the metric equivalent in parentheses. I guess the "metrification" of the UK is not as complete as we've been led to believe 😄

[@andrewdking]

You noticed that, I didn't and I'm a standards and specs engineer. Measurement systems and units are my thing. No, there's a lot of psuedo metrification i.e. Imperial units just converted to metric to keep the naïve officials happy. A sheet of standard size plywood is still exactly 8' x 4' but stated in mm. I can use both unit systems up to a point, but prefer Imperial.

[@seanC3i]

Yes, the UK still puts miles on all road signs and MPH is still the denomination of speed limits.

[@stevegray5263]

You're correct, I'm typing this whilst drinking my PINT of beer. The US $ is a decimal system and your beloved guns are measured in millimetres so I guess we're equals when it comes to measurement systems 😃

[@andrewdking]

@@stevegray5263 No, small bore gun barrel bores are still inch sizes. .177"; .220"; .303"; .450" as in Colt 45 and .500" as in 1/2" cannons fitted to aircraft. Big guns as fitted to armoured vehicles do tend to be in mm sizes.

[@stevegray5263]

@@andrewdking I stand corrected, I’ve been watching too much Airwolf 😬

[@Badger-w8u]

I would get thos cars moved , before the flames got to that side of the building . No point loosing your car too .

[@anthonymiller7992]

I wonder if the fire brigadier thought this was a controlled burn? Ooops, It wasn't 😂😂

[@andrewdking]

The consensus of opinion is that it is a controlled burn, but it survived. But I have no idea what happened to the jobs of those who evacuated at the time.

[@adjo82]

What's the buildings fire plan? Why was everyone still in the building even when the fire service was there? Surely when the call was made the building should of been evacuated?

[@andrewdking]

Sorry, I can't answer any of that because I worked for and filmed from, the building next door.

[@CDB8939]

They would have been out of the building before the fire service arrived, I would say that they had been round the other side of the building and it had been decided that they should all go home, if you notice after a short time a lot of cars start to drive away.

[@alisonstewart143]

Definitely enjoyed the commentary for this vid 😂 obviously I’m sorry the building got burnt down

[@andrewdking]

Live commentary. Many people hated it. Whatever, it was live, not choreographed. I don't think you watched all of the video. It didn't get burnt down !

[@rmontena4583]

the fire brigade seems to be taking their own sweet time.

[@andrewdking]

It's all happening on the far side out of sight. Another five appliances back there I've been informed. The one appliance (fire engine) you can see, is pumping the water from the mains water hydrant to those other appliances.

[@ChloeASMR91]

so it took them 4 years to rebuild that entire top floor looks brand new again

[@andrewdking]

It certainly appears so. Hope they learnt from it and didn't use wooden beams again.

[@ChloeASMR91]

@andrewdking me too because that old Structure wasn't strong enough to withstand the blazing fire glad it's been rebuilt though and I hope they've learnt from it as well

[@ghl3488]

I was a firefighter for over 30 years and take it from me, that is some of the most ineffective firefighting I have seen.Nearly ten minutes in and not a bit of water on the fire from this elevation at least.

[@andrewdking]

All around the other side. Five appliances I've been told. All fought defensively. Roof was a goner from the start, as one big air space and lots of thin wooden rafters, so a tinderbox not worth saving.

[@hemlock4519]

Thank you for showing the fixed building. Loved listening to everyone talking-everyone made me laugh

[@andrewdking]

Yeah, just people being people. Some are offended, others love listening to the banter. It's not choreographed, so it is what it is.

[@mickcurtis7195]

Everyone's a expert,like to see you lot go in here and risk your lives

[@tomroy5355]

As a former firefighter, I certainly would

[@RollsRoyceGuy]

Thank goodness they at least saved the foundation

[@andrewdking]

Sarcasm, the greatest form of wit. You must be English 😄

[@lesleywillis6177]

The real statement is to say proudly “ look we made a car park”!

[@thisisjspence]

Interesting choices here. No big water. Rolling into this I’m automatically telling my crew to grab a hydrant and set the ladder up for water tower. With the roof down unless we have have people unaccounted for, it’s defensive. But the lack of master stream usage here is puzzling. A building that size, two ladders flowing 1000gpm should be enough to handle.

[@andrewdking]

As another guy pointed out in the Comments (he must have actually been there). There were six appliances there. We can only see one fire engine, so five others were out of sight on the far side of the building. Also, the fire hydrant water source was at least 150 yards away behind that engine, round the T-junction up Maylands Avenue. I wasn't impressed about that being so far away.

[@heli-crewhgs5285]

Can you see through buildings with your x-Ray vision?!

[@heli-crewhgs5285]

The commentator with his nasally, whiny, attention seeking voice, knows f-all about firefighting and should STFU,

[@andrewdking]

@@heli-crewhgs5285 Oh why do so many idiots (you), think the public observing have to be experts, so to be allowed to comment. I filmed it and said whatever at the time, as would anyone else in my shoes. You STFU if you have nothing better to say. So did you find the video interesting or not ?

[@andrewdking]

@@heli-crewhgs5285 And why pray are you saying that ? You got out of the wrong side of bed today, cus you ain't arf grumpy !

[@martinthatsall1518]

The fire-proof benefit of concrete inter-floor structure is amply demonstrated here.

[@andrewdking]

I agree, I guess that's why the ground floor survived and hence the building was saved to live again. Shame they never thought to build the same as the loft floor. I'd love to know if the rebuild building has better fire prevention measures ?

[@RushfanUK]

11:52 Steel roof trusses instead of wood would increase the weight loading on the whole structure, you would have to build a much bigger structure below to carry the weight, similarly if you put in fire walls you would again have to build a support structure below it, open plan offices would have to be enclosed and compartmentalised to maintain the fire break, you would also have to put in a fire resistant ceiling as well which again would add even more weight to the structure. You also mention that you some halon at home, you need to ditch this, it is no longer used for fire fighting in the UK except in some very specific circumstances and if used in enclosed spaces releases toxic gases, they also are banned for environmental reasons and owning it may actually be illegal.

[@andrewdking]

Well the proof is in the burning, large open spaces are a fire hazard, or rather, they can't be saved. Fire breaks are a must I'd say. My halon stays, best fire killer I know of and no mess. Originally specified for the Chunnel trains, just don't breathe it in. Its fine for a wooden garage workshop fought from the doorway. It's an ex Rover Cars one as fitted to all their cars back in the 1980/90s. More banned from future sale usage than illegal to already own I'd expect. I'm not sure it's actually toxic, but it removes the oxygen to put the fire out efficiently. It's the lack of oxygen in the environment which kills you.

[@TomFynn]

" best gas guzzler of the year. [...] Hemel Hempstead. That actually used up 60 million gallons of fuel and didn’t move an inch." - Jeremy Clarkson

[@andrewdking]

You're referring to the Buncefield blast I assume ?

[@TomFynn]

@@andrewdking Jup. Due to Top Gear it is filed in my memory as Hemel Hampstead.

[@AlexAlexon3897]

The laughing creeps would OF COURSE be laughing if their own homes were burning. Great film - shame about the soulless humans in the background. It made a good silent film.

[@andrewdking]

It is what it is and people will be people.

[@AlexAlexon3897]

@@andrewdking: That's too defeatist for me. Sorry.

[@andrewdking]

@@AlexAlexon3897 Didn't you just mention the banter around a public hanging, so not defeatist, anyway I don't need to defend their actions. They are them and I'm me.

[@AlexAlexon3897]

@@andrewdking: Yes, I overdid the sarcasm, sorry.

[@Eddiecurrent2000]

The one issue that the UK fire service has, is the lack of aerials platforms. Compare the UK with Germany for instance and they'll turn out with two or three platforms, in the UK it's mostly pump ladders. That's why there's only one aerial platform, and not three or four. It really is quite a bad situation. South Wales Fire and Rescue has three platforms, for a large area with many high rises, it's quite a surprise. I guess it's cheaper that way. Having said that though, watching some of the German and US departments that they have all the gear, but no idea...

[@andrewdking]

What, only three in the whole of S Wales, and that's the industrialised area. So has N Wales only got one maybe ?

[@Eddiecurrent2000]

@@andrewdking yup, just three, unless I'm wrong and they've got more (I'd like to be wrong to be honest!). I guess there's a risk assessment they've gone through, but it still feels wrong that we have so few. Had there been a platform at this fire it could have been a different story, but at least the fire was eventually brought under control. This in no way is a criticism of the fire fighters by the way, but more of the government whose purse strings are well and truly pulled tight.

[@andrewdking]

@@Eddiecurrent2000 The powers that be make strange decisions. My village had a fire station with volunteer firemen, all local shop owners. They were good. But that was taken away, and now we have a large prison and a film studio (Dancing on Ice !) now being built on a permanent basis. All potential major fire hazard places. We now rely on Hemel Fire Station, the guys in the video.

[@casmatori]

The UK also doesn't murder and burn people in massive ovens like the Germans are known to do. But different strokes.

[@andrewdking]

@@casmatori Now now, stop that right now, even if it was true 😞

[@john_smith1471]

You can observe even with the fire raging, the electricity supply and internal lighting in the main reception building on the right does not trip until 18 minutes into filming, within one second the mandatory emergency exit route lighting activates.

[@andrewdking]

Are you a police detective or fire investigation officer to notice that sort of detail ?

[@Reaktanzkreis]

@@andrewdking I noticed it as well, I´m an radio/ communication service tech. Thats shows to me that the electrial installation was conform to the commercial building act. The lights works until to last.

[@andrewdking]

@@Reaktanzkreis Would that be because the wiring runs inside steel conduit ?

[@v8dodge69]

Also a very effective fire door between the top level office and the stairwell. Looks clear with very little smoke inside while the rest of that level is engulfed.

[@saldun2603]

OK I fell off my chair..Onward still watching.

[@andrewdking]

Are you saying you fell asleep 🙄🤔 ?

[@stillcoolnana]

I didn’t understand all the laughter from the people watching someone’s building burn, considering that there could have been loss of life or serious injuries. 😳

[@andrewdking]

Some nervous laughter in there I'm sure, plus some of my workmates may have been laughing at something unrelated. No loss of life, their evacuation looked very calm & orderly - the Cool of the English :)

[@samlucchese8928]

No hose lines visible from parking lot! Unbelievable, where’s firefighters? Ladder truck been sitting on street doing absolutely zero in fighting inferno!

[@scooby1992]

@@samlucchese8928 The truck was pumping water to other trucks on the far side of the building . You wouldnt put a ladder up against the walls of that building . It didnt look like there was an Aerial Platform there at that point and that would have been the only way to attack the fire from above .

[@dentonstales2778]

Yes, someone who thinks. Water hitting flame does no good, it needs to hit the burning material.

[@andrewdking]

Yes, that is correct. Maybe that's why we couldn't see any water from my side, because it was being sprayed onto the loft floor from the far side of the building.

[@HenrysAdventures]

Interesting video! Glad to see it was rebuilt. I've subscribed!

[@boltar2003]

I'm amazed no owners rescued any of the cars from the front of the building while they could.

[@andrewdking]

You are not the first to ask that. I would assume the company's fire marshals wouldn't allow it. The fire was right above the cars, so probably regarded as too risky. Anyone breaking ranks to do so would probably have got a Company written warning 🤷

[@112breda2]

Here in the Netherlands it will be “Zeer grote Brand” there would be a lot of firefighters+ambulance+the police, I hope every one is safe out there!

[@andrewdking]

All employees filed out safely without any drama as you saw, so no ambulances required. The Fire Brigade do the ignition cause investigations, and if foul play is suspected, then the police will get involved

[@112breda2]

@@andrewdking good to hear that everyone was okay, here in the netherlands the police is almost always coming, just for the safety to block the road, we don’t want that people are coming close to the buildings or that they hinder the firefighters, i’m a youth firefighter in the Netherlands, it’s a group of children from 12-18 years old and they call us the “next generation firefighters” we are learning the basics from all the firefighting.

[@andrewdking]

@@112breda2 What you saw is what you got, unless the police were present out of sight further down the road in each direction.

[@leswall3061]

Good filming and good follow up after the fire

[@andrewdking]

Thanks for commenting. I was just in the right place at the time. Good for me, bad for them !

[@19irving]

I live in the US. But I lived in HH for a short time in the 1970s. I don't think I ever saw in mentioned in international media before.

[@andrewdking]

You should have done. When Buncefield Oil Depot went up in 2005, it was claimed to be the largest man made explosion since WW2. Friends of my relatives in Norfolk, said they heard it in Holland ! Google Buncefield

[@laurablanes5176]

ajajajaj increíble!!! está igual que antes, como si jamás le hubiese pasado un gran incendio por encima!!! increíble XD

[@andrewdking]

So you commented : hahaha amazing!!! It is the same as before, as if a big fire had never happened on it!!! amazing XD. Yes, definitely looks very similar for sure. We just hope the internal fire prevention measures are much improved this time.

[@doturquhart9029]

Good video, but I had to mute it.

[@andrewdking]

It was a live event. Gallows Humour & all that. Its quite normal under the circumstances.

[@djfmitv]

Good video - The TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) was to protect private renter's deposits/bonds in contracts and (supposedly) to stop landlords from being dishonest. No idea if the fire would've had an impact on the (compulsory) scheme's operation or if the data & bond monies were stored in another way?

[@andrewdking]

Many thanks for sharing the nature of this obscure sounding company (scheme) 👍

[@kgbbowdery1204]

Great video mate, frightening to see how fast it took hold..

[@andrewdking]

Thank you. Consensus is the building's loft area was not to Building Regs or the allowable Regs at the time of its build (1990s I think) were far from adequate.

[@94f1senna]

I was a Roofing contractor for over 30 years and had to call out the Fantastic Fire service in a handful of occasions, And each time they have been very very fast and Swift in putting Fire out before its too late and whole building burns to the ground. I would have thought cars needed to be moved because the Roof tiles will explode when they get to certain temperature. And I can't understand why this fire team are letting the fire take hold and spreading throughout the whole Roof, The cars in carpark are a hazard.

[@andrewdking]

The Brigade was swift. They were there already and the employees were still in the building FFS. It was a huge open space roof made of lots of thin matchwood rafters, so burnt hot and fast. Far too dangerous to send firemen inside it, so they fought it defensively.

[@kevxsi16v]

Best thing for a building with the name “progression centre”

[@andrewdking]

Well actually, the building is called Unit 1.

[@CottonInDerTube]

1:00 "well its not good that the hole roof is steaming? ..." no dude, this is not good :D

[@andrewdking]

No it wasn't, and that's why your next comment is in error.....

[@Mark-em5zm]

European firefighters: “Hey North America, I know we make fun of the sizes of your fire equipment and hoses but could send us a couple of engines, two trucks and like three 2.5” hoses? Thanks.”

[@andrewdking]

Do the Americans only use 2•5" bore hoses then ?

[@piercedriver1]

@@andrewdking no most interior lines are 1 3/4 but 2 1/2 is blitz line.

[@andrewdking]

@@piercedriver1 Thanks for clarifying. Smaller diameter to be more manageable in the confines of a building interior I assume.

[@piercedriver1]

@@andrewdking exactly, and most of our pumpers can pump 2000 gallon per minute. Most trucks are 100’ ladders.

[@andrewdking]

@@piercedriver1 That'll be the smaller US gallon for the smaller hose then ! Just kidding 😃

[@Badger-w8u]

Why on earth is the fire not being put out at the front as well ?? Building will be gone soon .

[@andrewdking]

Well, watch until the end and all becomes clear 😉 Roof fires are very dangerous apparently, so the fire brigade control the burn rather than risk their lives by piling in.

[@GraemeMurphy]

That roof should not have collapsed so quickly. Obviously there have been corners cut by the builder during its construction.

[@andrewdking]

Didn't look good from where I stood. Matchwood rafters and no obvious fire break partitions

[@TheGrumpyEnglishman]

It would have been inpected before being occupied.

[@andrewdking]

@@TheGrumpyEnglishman Before being occupied by whom and at what stage of the fire sequence?

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

Some real morons (most of them claiming to be firefighters from the US) commenting. This was a rapidly developing fire in an occupied structure. As you can clearly see, people had not followed the evacuation plan and left the building. The primary duty of the fire service in this situation is the preservation of life! They got in and got everyone out, whilst the fire was still rapidly developing. Once everyone was out it was a building that was structurally compromised due to rapid fire development in the roof space. You never commit firefighters to a compromised structure unless absolutely necessary, hence it was fought defensively from the exterior once it had been successfully evacuated. You can literally see the number of 45mm and 70mm hose coming from the rear of the pump ladder and going to the rear of the building. This shows that they were actively fighting the fire from the rear, away from the area of greatest collapse risk. US firefighters are in no position to criticise when they send loads of appliances to fires, stand around chatting on scene, are slow to get to work, have next to no safety systems for BA wearing, poor incident management skills and are still stuck in the past with traditional techniques and are so resistant to any kind of progression that they are bloody dangerous. Seriously, shut up.

[@ellisjames7192]

Did they ever use ANY water on the fire?

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

@@ellisjames7192 Yes, obviously. Like I said, you can see several lines of 45mm and 70mm hose going to the rear of the building.

[@andrewdking]

There certainly was. As the Welshman says, take a good look at the visible fire appliance & the evidence is clear to see.

[@CDB8939]

If you actually watched the video, they had been told to go home as cars start driving away a few minutes later. They would have been out of the building before the the fire service even arrived. The evacuation point was probably round the other side of the building.

[@aportman58]

Gusset plates that rafters are built out of today are nothing but fuel sources that burn quick and collapse quickly!!!

[@andrewdking]

Hence I hope it's rebuild has steel rafters. Alas, I never saw it being rebuilt

[@adcockerell]

Nice steady footage during the post-filming, unlike the usual shaky offering

[@andrewdking]

Thank you for that appreciative comment. Well I think I know the basics having filmed since circa 1972. I also have a very steady hand, which is most evident in my model painting videos on this KZbin channel

[@That1Eagle]

From that 4:12 to that! 18:18 Ps: At 6:40, or around then, when you said you'd get your car removed, if it was there. That would be a bad idea as the heat would be unbearable. And I am extremely surprised there was no TL, Like you said around 12:33

[@andrewdking]

They should have evacuated before or as the fire brigade arrived, but they didn't. That then would have been an ideal time to move one's car. I assumed they thought the fire would be put out in a jiffy and not turn into that inferno.

[@andrewdking]

Why are you called KZbin Australia ?

[@That1Eagle]

@@andrewdking Cuz I'm aussie, and I like prank kids sometimes

[@That1Eagle]

@@andrewdking But they should have been evacuated as the fire alarm in the building went off, But nope! They waited until fire was visible from outside.

[@andrewdking]

@@That1Eagle 😄👍

[@masaokakihara9316]

Crazy, that they would follow an evacuation procedure, that doesn't include car removal

[@andrewdking]

I guess life comes before property. I'd have probably moved mine if I'd been in their shoes.

[@masaokakihara9316]

@@andrewdking Well it does, that's a given. Maybe they knew, that only the roof will be affected and the cars pose no threat. Might be different, when it's all electric soon.

[@andrewdking]

@@masaokakihara9316 Indeed, the building survived to live another day, so maybe they did know what they were doing. I'd get hammered if I said they didn't 😬 Yes, in the future, boring lithium electric cars are not at all keen on fire and water. Potentially worse than petrol fires.

[@casmatori]

Exactly. Leaving cars in the way to catch on fire, block firefighters from getting close to the building. I'd certainly be moving mine

[@andrewdking]

@@casmatori An ongoing conundrum is that. I love my car, I'd want to move it. The Fire Marshals conducting the evacuation have other ideas. People come first, property is not important. The Fire Brigade would request the cars get moved if they felt the need to get them moved

[@fannycraddock99]

Wow! I'm amazed that it was not raised to the ground. Looks just like it did before the fire. Building regs were not up to standard IMHO. The attic should have had fire breaks.

[@andrewdking]

Building not that old, 1990s I'd say. Just proves proper building inspections were not done at periodic intervals !

[@fannycraddock99]

@@andrewdking yes, that's what I suspect. A building of that age should not have burned so fast.

[@andrewdking]

@@fannycraddock99 Hopefully there was an investigation and the Architect &/or Builder got their arse kicked

[@fannycraddock99]

@@andrewdking I hope so too Andrew. Just glad that no one was hurt.

[@countesscable]

…razed

[@fervent2896]

Some brigades in the UK have received a new specialist fire appliance known as a Scorpion. It has a 20m reach turret with a spike on the end which is able to piece roofs and windows and start delivering water inside. I believe it would have been an excellent use case for this type of structure fire. Cars in the front of the building may have caused a problem but that would have been for a Fire Officer to decide, and even then, might require the police to direct the cars to a safe area, whilst not obstruction further appliances attending. As the building had been evacuated, the situation may just have been to prevent the fire from spreading to vegetation and other buildings. Source: Know a lot of firefighters and i'm in the process of joining myself.

[@andrewdking]

Just looked that appliance up. Big spike for sure. Quite new though I'm guessing, so not available at the time.

[@keithnichols7926]

Whoever belongs to the cars jammed against the building should be driving them away.

[@andrewdking]

Everyone keeps asking that question and I keep answering it. The Fire Marshals in charge of directing their company employees are prioritising life over property.

[@shauncorless8965]

You should fight fire 🔥 with 🔥,that's what got me thrown out fire brigade 😳

[@Jan-hf3ip]

Had my eye on the old Jaguar all the time.

[@andrewdking]

You've got eagle eyes to spot and identify that dark coloured XJ6 parked near the building's main entrance. Well, that's the only car that looks remotely Jaguar like ?

[@user-dd9tc4zz8j]

Glad someone finds this funny.

[@andrewdking]

As I have to repeat over and again, its Gallows humour.

[@Rayfaedundee]

Fantastic video clip of the fire and how scary the fire escalated into a huge out of control inferno and how scary how little time it took to eat it’s way through the roof space. I just hope when the building or roof was rebuilt they installed some kind of divider brick walls to prevent such fire happening again. In 2019 the building looked ready to be demolished, but in 2023 you’d never know this building had had such a horrific fire.

[@andrewdking]

Thank you very much for the compliment. You have mirrored my very thoughts and I suspect, the new company in the building has no idea of its history.

[@waldodontliveherenomo2488]

"Lightweight Construction" pre-fabbed wooden roof trusses.

[@andrewdking]

Indeed, you can probably tell I wasn't impressed for such a modern building. I hope they rebuilt it to a better fire regs spec

[@jameshill3165]

Roof fires are notoriously difficult to fight. After all, what is a roof designed to do??

[@andrewdking]

Keep water (rain) out

[@jameshill3165]

Yep! Given the structure of the roof (wooden trusses) I would assume that the ceiling would be either chip board or ply board with a "false" grid/panel type interior celing. An internal attack would have been too risky, given the speed at which the ceiling collapsed. The fire service would have had information as to the construction of the building (they inspect things regularly), and given the construction of the building the decision would have been made (quite rightly) by the IC to go immediately to "Delta" (defensive) mode......

[@andrewdking]

@@jameshill3165 Good one, that makes perfect sense 👍

[@scooby1992]

@@jameshill3165 Yes , assuming everyone had got out ( which is what it looked like ) and was accounted for no IC would send a BA team inside there .

[@paulgraham2371]

Sprinkler system ? Has your building got one ?

[@andrewdking]

Not my house no, but where I worked in Technology House did. Our building was half office, half factory. The one which burnt, The Progression Centre was just office.

[@robertgildea2841]

I am watching from Elmira NY Elmira fire department is quick at responding to fires

[@andrewdking]

Hopefully, all Fire Departments / Stations are quick to respond to fires 👍

[@Edward1312]

Strange I'm surprised you didn't know what existed behind progression Centre, in all the time you had worked in Technology House you hadn't investigated the rest of the industrial estate at all. It always makes sense to be fully aware of your surroundings as you never know what might happen there might be a fire for example.

[@andrewdking]

I'm not interested in office blocks. I like proper factories that make things. I spent most of my working life at Lucas from 1976 onwards at the Leverstock Green end of Maylands Avenue. I knew most of the factories on the estate back then. Where the Progression Centre is, was once Avica Equipment Ltd who made bits for the European Ariane Space Rocket.

[@Admiral_Jezza]

What is the Progression Center actually for? Like what did they do there before it burned down?

[@andrewdking]

I think you are asking the wrong question. The Progression Centre is just a bunch of Business units with a common carpark area. Unit 1 of the complex is what burnt. It was occupied back then by the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Go look here for what they do : www.tenancydepositscheme.com/

[@jld9107]

Fascinating stuff ya melt

[@andrewdking]

It is indeed, but "Ya melt". Go on, explain ?

[@john_smith1471]

Those final salary pension schemes were excellent, tax free lump sum and index linked increases, no wonder so many companies ended them for new employees, often these were organisations previously nationalised, in the public sector or part of local government.

[@andrewdking]

Indeed, I mustn't gloat 😁 and AVCs. The company and the union looked after its employees pretty well. People left thinking the grass was greener, many soon returned when they found it wasn't and had to work a lot harder.

[@robnewman6101]

Great Fires of London! Fireman Sam.

[@andrewdking]

Well, the Home Counties to London actually 😁

[@jmWhyMe]

In the States, we'd've had 2 or 3 trucks (you lot call the L. A. P. s I believe) streaming water into the roof. We all fight fires differently!

[@andrewdking]

There were other Fire Engines (Trucks) on the far side out of sight. I've searched Google for what the acronym LAPs means, and not found anything related to fire fighting. You need to explain further please ?

[@crazyleyland5106]

And in the US, firefighters chopping holes in the roof- vertical ventilation.

[@crazyleyland5106]

@@andrewdking could be ALP- Aerial ladder platforms. In US they're also known as towers.

[@andrewdking]

@@crazyleyland5106 Yer wouldn't have wanted to chop holes in that's roof, it burnt through far too quickly.

[@andrewdking]

@@crazyleyland5106 OK, but they did use a platform the next day to dampen any remaining hot spots down. I think a brand of platform for fire fighting is called a Simon Snorkel

[@casmatori]

Everyone just left their cars there to get burnt?

[@andrewdking]

They are under instructions from the designated fire marshals to evacuate to safety. Being allowed to do their own thing isn't in their game plan

[@casmatori]

@@andrewdking Fire marshal would be paying to replace my car then. Or the building insurance would be.

[@andrewdking]

@@casmatori But in the event, I think all the vehicles got away Scot free (no damage).

[@airspeed_alive]

Only one response to this vid, and that is the most British one: "Faaaakin ell"

[@andrewdking]

🤣 love it, but that was your second response !

[@donnamauer3215]

Sadly, in the US half the people would be trying to take their car out with them and arguing with the cops & firefighters. 🤷‍♂️

[@andrewdking]

We have a much cooler demeanor here in Britain 😉

[@acostin4004]

Why aren't the firemen spraying water on it yet are they just waiting for the fire to do more damage ffs.

[@andrewdking]

We've come to the conclusion the roof space was lost, so they fought it defensively only. The roof trusses are just thin wood and burn too easily to save.

[@acostin4004]

Fair enough.

[@tobygallagher570]

@@andrewdking Yes absolutely. From what i can see the IC( incident commander) probably decided it was too much risk to send anyone in - especially if all persons were accounted. They would use defensive tactics to try get a hold on the fire.

[@andrewdking]

@@tobygallagher570 🙂👍

[@jeanmay-millman4124]

Thank you 😊

[@andrewdking]

Thank you for what Jean ?

[@edwardsmith8449]

Quick throw some pototes in the fire

[@dillon17]

Only ONE ladder truck with platform, whats going on here? Also, that buildings design is TERRIBLE, no design to stop the fire from spreading and made out of WOOD??? jeez.

[@andrewdking]

Yep, I agree, bad roof space design. Lower areas were ok though. The platform appliance turned up the day after the fire ! The county only has a few appliances with platforms. There may have been one on the far side of the building as it was burning or not at all. It could have been at another shout 🤷

[@johnwaller2886]

Was that a local Hertfordshire accent? nice to hear.

[@andrewdking]

Who's mine or ? Mine's a Bucks accent corrupted by mixing with WWII London evacuees as a kid. The quite loud bloke behind me was my boss. He's of Berkhampsted origin, so he's from Herts yes.

[@wildadventures4173]

" It's cold enough to Freeze Flames" I laughed so hard I peed a little 🤣. You need to narrate more fires 🤣🥰🤣🥰. Great video, thank you for sharing. Love from America 🇺🇲👍.

[@andrewdking]

😂😯 indeed then. I normally get accused of saying the wrong thing !

[@TheGrumpyEnglishman]

You could have least have made the effort to tell the brigade where they were going wrong. You sounded like you had superior knowledge of firefighting tactics.

[@andrewdking]

Who's you, me ? Without the banter and comments around me, the video would be very boring. With a complete lack of water being visibly sprayed on the fire, the comments are very legitimate I'd say

[@debbiemaccabe1929]

They think one fire truck is going to put that out. Lol

[@andrewdking]

There was at least one more out of sight around the back, where the fire started.

[@petergardner5002]

There were 6 appliances . Took couple of hours to deal with

[@andrewdking]

@@petergardner5002 I'm curious now how you know that. Were you working in one of the Progression Centre units or the Fire Brigade at the time ?

[@danikmcintyre2068]

here is an idea, lets put water on the fire, looks like no one tought of that here

[@scooby1992]

Here is an idea , we have no idea if water was being applied or not . There were other fire service resources on the other side of the building who may well have been applying water from there .

[@vinnypickering92112]

I still can't understand how all these buildings don't have sprinkler systems. That building doesn't look that old that sprinklers wouldn't have helped

[@andrewdking]

Good point matey. However, I've never heard of sprinklers being installed in lofts. Is it a thing ?

[@vinnypickering92112]

I'm from USA. I don't know if it's a law to have them but so much destruction can be prevented by having them. Sometimes the fire crews take a long time finding a water supply and the benefit of sprinklers would have to help.

[@andrewdking]

@@vinnypickering92112 Sprinkler systems are definitely fitted in factories, but not sure about a requirement in offices, and as I previously said, I've never heard of them being fitted in an empty roof space. I used to know a man who would have known this precise answer, an ex Northamptonshire fire chief, who became a building sprinkler design consultant and for BSI (British Standards Institute). Alas, now deceased 😞

[@iandrew6347]

It’s not mandatory to sprinkle systems unless the insurance company says so if the insurance companies specify that you have a sprinkler system installed

[@iandrew6347]

Great video bye the way

[@CARLIN4737]

Brightened up there day.

[@andrewdking]

Who's day, ours observing or those evacuating. Maybe both ?

[@andreholthower9238]

Warum löschen die nicht von allen Seite?

[@andrewdking]

For some reason the KZbin translator isn't working. I've used Google to translate to : Why don’t they delete them from all sides ? That doesn't translate quite right as "delete" ? I'm guessing it's meant to say why didn't they fight the fire from all sides. I have no idea, we are all wondering that point. All the fire fighting was done from the far side of the building, out of view.

[@briankelly5816]

Love the comments the staff watching are making so funny especially the comment about moving into there office and the I'd better move my bike hilarious 😂

[@andrewdking]

British sarcasm eh ! You must have listened intently, because I don't recall those comments, but then again, I was more concerned with my filming

[@briankelly5816]

@Andrew D King watch again, and listen and actually, I wasn't being sarcastic !! I thought it was a good video!! Blimey aren't we very sensitive about a compliment!! IN FACT I ISSUE A CHALLANGE TO OTHERS TOO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE IN THE BACKGROUND AND TELL ME IM WRONG!!

[@andrewdking]

@@briankelly5816 No, not you being sarcastic, whoever it was mentioning their bike, it being typical British sarcasm. I'm very sarcastic and very un PC, so I have to tone down with my replies to comments

[@andrewdking]

I've now watched it again right through with no other sounds around me. I didn't hear what you heard. Maybe your ears were attuned to whoever's voice said it.

[@briankelly5816]

@Andrew D King its ok it was someone in the background

[@damiennota5446]

Why have they not either covered the cars with water or moved them

[@andrewdking]

We are all wondering where the water is on the building, let alone the cars. The Fire Marshals (in the high vis) put people before property ie they get lead to safety (my Co carpark). Anyone breaking ranks to move their car would probably be on a Co Warning !

[@NeilM01989]

Liked and shared

[@dylanandmolly3739]

Imagine an office worker trying to tell a firefighter how to do their job. 🤣

[@andrewdking]

But everyone's an expert 🤷 There was a definite lack of spurt

[@stoke9585]

@@andrewdking Depends what the IC officer thought was best. If there isn't enough resources and confirmed no persons trapped/involved, then that's gonna be a situation of defensive firefighting and let it get to a controlled burn. But hey, armchair experts, eh?

[@andrewdking]

@@stoke9585 You're not the first to suggest that. An American called it Delta for defense only fire fighting.

[@harvynussbaum5182]

Nice job.

[@jeffreyashton6405]

the lack of resourses in the fire and rescue service, eg pumping appliances and ariel ladder platforms is all down to goverment cutbacks so brigades mothball some appliances because they cant be manned by firefighters hence longer attendance times and less personell at fires.

[@DavidStruveDesigns]

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a fire can go from "oh look some smouldering paper" to "holy fuck my whole house is gone". It seems just as quick if not quicker with offices - plenty of very flammable stuff inside, I guess.

[@andrewdking]

Not in this case. It was a roof fire. There didn't appear to be anything in there apart from one enormous air space and lots of thin wooden rafters.

[@eiupanther2012]

This fire crew did a terrbile job taking this fire down. TERRIBLE

[@andrewdking]

But did they. It survived to live again. The building itself was much to blame, its loft appearing to be one big empty space, with many spindly wooden rafters and NO obvious periodic fire break partitions.

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

No they didn’t.

[@robnewman6101]

999. Action Stations.

[@andrewdking]

I wonder who actually called 999. The building was on fire, the fire brigade was already there before my office knew about it, yet their office employees were STILL in the building !

[@thomasanglin5888]

Well they got water to the truck now they just got to figure out how to get it from the truck to the fire SMH put the wet stuff on the red stuff boy's

[@hughjass2745]

no rush lads, no rush...

[@andrewdking]

To the camera it was more lad than lads, only ever saw the one fireman running around. Lots more of them around the back I've since been informed.

[@n4gix]

That one truck was particularly useless. The should have tackled the A side, given that later arrival(s) were tackling the C side. At no point did I see even one drop of water being used on the A side! Grade: D-

[@andrewdking]

It had lots of hoses coming from it, so was being used as the pump to draw the water from the hydrant which was about 150 yards away. To me, not having a nearer hydrant is more shocking

[@scooby1992]

@@andrewdking As far as I know Andy there is no requirement to have a certain number of hydrants within a certain area . It isnt right , but I am happy to be corrected if anyone knows different .

[@scooby1992]

You are right regarding the water or lack of it , but the truck wasnt being useless . As Andy says it was being used to pumps water to other trucks on the far side of the building .

[@andrewdking]

@@scooby1992 Yeah, when the Maylands estate was originally built, it was all occupied by proper manufacturing factories. They were all using dangerous chemicals and welding equipment. There should have been hydrants everywhere, maybe one per factory even. My original factory, the Lucas Aerospace site at the Leverstock Green end of Maylands occupied 40 acres and had up to 4000 employees !

[@andrewdking]

@@scooby1992 I guessed right then 😉

[@debbiemaccabe1929]

The USA would have 10 fire trucks there

[@andrewdking]

Our Fire Stations don't have that many appliances (as we collectively call them). The building was obviously saved because it survived to live another day as can be seen at the end of my video 🙂

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

And most of them would have been doing nothing…

[@philipdavanzo5311]

One slow fire dept.

[@andrewdking]

No, it was all happened on the other side of the building where the fire started. The fire brigade were there before the employees had even evacuated the building !