During Eastbourne’s busiest tourist season, a fire broke out tragically at the seaside town’s renowned pier last month, gutting its largest dome. Although officials were able to contain the fire, the area affected – a popular amusement arcade – suffered severe damage leaving only a metal skeleton. It is believed the fire was caused by an electrical fault behind the wooden wall paneling.
Sadly, Eastbourne is not the only town to have suffered fire damage to its pier. In 1930 and 2008, fires damaged the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare. Hastings Pier was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 2010, West Pier in Brighton saw its fate in 2003 and South Parade Pier in Southsea was destroyed by a blaze in 1904.
The severity of the damage seen here only reinforces the importance of implementing preventative measures and adhering to regulations concerning fire safety. Fortunately, Eastbourne Pier was fully evacuated. In some instances, this is not always the case. In this month’s Legal & Business focus, Tom Welland, Conformance & Regulatory Affairs Manger at Fireco speaks to FC&A about protecting vulnerable building occupants, in order to prevent devastating effects.
Along with our regular spotlight articles, which profile a selection of outstanding projects, you will also find dedicated features on Roofing, Cladding & Insulation, Glass & Glazing, Safety, Specification and an extended focus on Sustainability.
As always, I hope you enjoy this issue. Don’t forget you can also access all the latest features, product information at your fingertips via FC&A’s state-of-the-art app. Available for smart phones and tablets, the app can be downloaded free of charge from Google Play or the App Store – simply enter the search term ‘fc&a’.
