Tower block blaze drama

SMOKE billowed from the windows high up on one of Warrington’s tallest buildings.
Fire engines from Warrington, Stockton Heath and Birchwood raced to the scene at Kingsway House.
Casualties were rescued from upper floors.
But it was all part of a training exercise for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Crews from the borough’s three fire stations were involved in the exercise while crews from other fire stations across the county moved into the three fire stations in case a real emergency occurred while the training was going on.
A Fire Service spokesman said: “We hold exercises like this regularly across the county.
“High rise buildings like Kingsway House present particular problems for firefighters.
“Risks for residents in a real fire involving a high rise building are not particularly a problem because of all the built-in safety measures.
“But for firefighters they can be very risky – two firefighters died tackling a fire in a tower block in Devon quite recently.
“So regular training is vital.
“We had simulated smoke and simulated casualties. We everything we could to make the exercise like a real fire.
“But the people of Warrington had their usual protection because of the crews we drafted in from other areas.”