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Mountbatten Building, Southampton University

Over 200 firefighters from across Hampshire tackle complicated fire

31 Oct 2005

Crews from across Hampshire were called to a fire that started in the early morning on Sunday 30 October 2005 at the science laboratory, known as the Mountbatten Building, at Southampton University. A crew from St. Mary’s Fire Station were first at the incident and it was quickly apparent that more assistance was required to tackle the blaze in the three story building. In total 35 fire appliances and over 200 firefighters from across Hampshire were called to the incident to tackle the fire and to make the scene safe. A crew was mobilised from almost every fire station in Hampshire and the incident was handled entirely using Hampshire Fire and Rescue resources, with the exception of one fire appliance from Salisbury being put on standby at Romsey Fire Station.

This was the biggest and more serious fire handled by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service during the last two years and was particularly complicated for the firefighters because the building was used as a laboratory and contained a large quantity of chemicals and cylinders. The heating up of the cylinders resulted in a series of small explosions inside the building which could be heard by local people. Firefighters therefore worked hard to contain the fire, whilst also protecting themselves from any explosions and possible toxic fumes.

The fire also created large plumes of thick black smoke which caused concern to members of the local community. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service therefore worked very closely with the Police to get the message out to local people to stay inside and to close all windows and doors, as there was a possibility of toxic smoke.

The fire spread very quickly through the Mountbatten Building and part of the adjacent building, where firefighters were able to stop the further spread of the fire to other close surrounding buildings. Parts of the third and fourth and the first and second floors in the adjacent building were completely saved from damage by the fire. This means that valuable research materials and documents will be recoverable due to the tireless efforts of the firefighters.

On Monday 31 October, firefighters remained on the scene to continue ‘damping’ down to ensure that all fire ‘hot spots’ were fully extinguished and the scene has been declared safe for ongoing salvage and inspection. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service will now scale down the operation and keep a minimum presence of firefighters on the scene.

The University’s Secretary and Registrar John Lauwerys thanked firefighters, saying “The University is very appreciative of the professionalism and skill of all the emergency services, who responded so quickly and effectively, preventing the fire spreading to adjacent buildings.”

A formal Police and Fire and Rescue Service investigation is now being undertaken into the cause of the fire.

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