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At 11.30 pm on Thursday 4th August, Bexley Police were called to attend a fire at Clydesdale House on Kale Road. Over one hundred people were evacuated from the tower block after a discarded mattress was set alight in the hallway. Seven people were taken to hospital and one person was injured when they jumped from their first floor balcony.
Kathy Keane, Gallions’ Duty Manager who received the emergency call was among the first on the scene. When the all-clear was given Kathy ensured all the residents who could return, went back into their homes. For those whose homes were too badly damaged, Kathy arranged alternative accommodation. Kathy says; “ Many of the residents on the lower floors were very, very frightened as the smoke was so thick, black and choking. It completely filled the block and the biggest cause of concern for everyone was smoke inhalation.”
Paramedics, police, fire officers and scene of crime investigators, all arrived at Clydesdale House, throughout the night and into the early hours of Friday morning. The swift and professional response of the emergency services ensured that what started as a serious fire did not turn in to something much more terrible. The next day the devastation was clear for all to see. As Team Gallions tackled the smoke blackened wall, and swept up the debris, residents had to find a way to get back to normal as quickly as possible.
Several weeks later the full extent of the financial cost of the fire is becoming clear. A first estimate is already running over £100,000. Gallions state “We are doing everything we can to stamp out anti-social behaviour, including rubbish dumping. We have a hotline for residents to report problems, and are determined to limit nuisance behaviour wherever possible. In this case the damage, distress and disruption caused by the fire could have been avoided if the mattress had not been dumped in the first place.
Team Gallions spend a third of their time just clearing up dumped household rubbish. We do this because it cannot be left lying in the street, as it is both a health and fire hazard, as seen last month. It costs up to £15,000 a month to do this and it means there is less time and money for Team Gallions to do the work they are employed to do.
We take the problem of fly-tipping very seriously indeed. Dumped rubbish is unsightly and a health hazard. To tackle this problem we are working closely with the local police, to identify those guilty of discarding rubbish in Thamesmead’s streets.
Team Gallions operates a regular Rubbish Amnesty on the first Saturday of every month. This is a free collection service to help you dispose of large items correctly. Simply contact us on our freephone number 0800 83 84 81 and leave your details. We will then telephone you on the day before ‘Rubbish Amnesty Saturday’ and let you know when we will be arriving with the van, for you to load it up with your discarded items. This service has been launched to help keep your streets clean and safe - just one telephone call would have prevented the fire in Clydesdale House”.
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