Abbey View: nine fire crews called to 11th floor 'barbecue'

Approaching two years on from a serious blaze at the 16-storey block of flats, fears of a repeat surfaced at 9.14pm yesterday (May 29).

Multiple crews raced to Garsmouth Way following reports of a fire, where they eventually found a barbecue on the 11th floor. It was extinguished and words of advice given to the residents.

The block was evacuated in July 2022 after a bin room fire spread to the rest of the building. Although nobody was injured, it caused significant damage to the lower floors.

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An Abbey View resident said the incident had reminded them of the previous incident, adding: “After the trauma of two years ago racing down the stairwell in thick choking smoke, every smoke alarm that goes off here starts panic.”

The 2022 fire cause significant damage to the lower floors of Abbey View.

One neighbour labelled the callout an “appalling” waste of emergency services’ resources, while another asked: “Why can people be so irresponsible?”

Assistant chief fire officer Mark Barber advised people not to use barbecues on their balconies as he warned embers can easily transfer, potentially catching fire and spreading.