Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service has mobilised 4 appliances and an Aerial Ladder Platform to a fire within a fibre cabinet outside Fellowship House in Ryde this lunchtime (Wednesday).
Crews from Ryde, Newport and Shanklin are on scene at Station Street, where smoke has been seen coming from a fibre broadband cabinet and underground void.
Island Echo is told that a blow torch was being used to seal tarmac around the newly installed cabinet when it sparked a small fire due to plastic within the cabinet and underground channels.
Several appliances have responded to the scene due to the close proximity of the fire to Fellowship House. However, crews are now standing down.
A cordon is in place and Station Street has been closed whilst Ryde’s wholetime crew deal with the incident.
The alarm was raised by a contractor shortly before midday.
UPDATE @ 13:04 – The incident has been brought to a close with all resources now stood down.
Why the Aerial Ladder Platform for a small box???
Bet the ladder came in handy!
The level of personnel and appliances etc sent to events on the IW at the moment seems crazy!! 4 appliances AND an ariel ladder for a small ground based Wightfibre box unit!! Really??!!
Depends on the Initial call and information given to HIOWFRS, Probably initially categorised as a fire domestic, and possible persons reported. So that would attract a PDA (pre determined attendance ) including the ALP.
However once crews arrived they would have reevaluated and stood applicants down.