LOCAL health centres were alerted this week after a fire ripped through a barn in Shalden, casting a pall of potentially noxious fumes over Alton and the surrounding countryside. Although the risk is considered extremely slight, environmental health officers are advising anyone suffering with respiratory problems, which they think might be related to inhalation of fumes from the site, to get checked out immediately by a GP. The blaze, which started in the early hours of Saturday morning, has destroyed one large open-fronted Dutch barn and damaged a second at Humbly Grove Farm, on The Avenue at Shalden. It left 2,000 tonnes of tightly- compacted power station fuel, sending particulated smoke high into the atmosphere to be blown away on the prevailing winds. Valued at more than £1,500, the contents, thought to be bound for a power station in Slough, comprised mountains of shredded and compacted paper, plastic, mulched wood chippings and contraband such as old bank notes and tobacco, seized by HM Customs. There was particular concern over the barns, with environmental specialists being called in to analyse the plume being sent up, not just from the contents, but from the fabric of buildings which are thought to contain asbestos. The value of the barns has not been disclosed. According to Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, retained firefighters from Odiham were the first on the scene at just before 3 am, closely followed by crews from Alton and Basingstoke. As time progressed, back-up crews were sent from Rushmoor, RAF Odiham and ATC Lasham. Leading the Alton crews, Station Officer Steve May confirmed that at the height of the fire on Saturday, there were four appliances supported by a special equipment unit and a water carrier, three officers and 26 firefighters battling with the blaze. He said that in the early hours the fire was extremely intense and crews were working in extremely difficult conditions. So much so that, at some point on Saturday, the decision had been reached to allow the inferno to burn out. In charge of operations on Tuesday, Basingstoke Station Officer Simon Purnell said that because the contents were so tightly packed, by Monday, working in conjunction with the owner, a further decision was taken to begin dragging the contents out of the main barn using a dumper truck. Heaps of the flame-riddled matter was then layed out in the adjoining field to burn off. The exercise resulted in a substantial increase in the smoke column, which was being whipped up in the wind and dropped down over Alton and Selborne. A halt was called by East Hampshire District Council's environmental health team when people in the surrounding areas began to complain. According to EHDC environmental services manager Tricia Hughes, due to the site's location on the East Hampshire side of the border with Basingstoke and Deane, calls over the weekend had been directed to the wrong council but by Monday she was receiving calls about the smoke. "I visited the site on Monday and realised that it was a much bigger problem then we had originally thought. The fire was creating a lot of smoke which was being carried on the wind causing concern too about the health and safety of workers," she said. While crews continued to use breathing apparatus and dust masks, specialists were called in to carry out emergency environmental sampling, looking at the roof material, the smoke and the resulting dust. The main concern was to do with the asbestos roofing. Built in 1986/87 of concrete and metal, the cement and asbestos in the roof of the barns is regarded fortunately as low risk. According to Mrs Hughes, when subject to intense heat, the fabric breaks down, rendering it relatively harmless. Nonetheless, local GPs have been alerted and will examine anyone who believes they have been affected by the gaseous outfall from the fire. According to Mrs Hughes, initial dust monitoring in the garden of the nearest houses in Shalden has helped to set minds at rest. "Although you could see dust on the trees it was found that in the main the particulates had dropped out and were staying close to the site itself. Testing showed a factor of 10 less than would be expected at occupational exposure level," she said. With the burning of the contents expected to continue well into next week, fighting the fire has become a major partnership effort. In stressing the importance of this approach, Station Officer Simon Purnell said that full time and retained firefighters from across the area were now operating shifts and were working closely with EHDC environmental health and health and safety officers, the Environment Agency (concerned about the possible effect on the water course) and South East Water, as well as with fire crews from ATC Lasham and RAF Odiham "Our biggest problem is the water supply," said Mr Purnell. With no water on the site, the fire service has been working with SE Water, firstly with the intention of installing a temporary main. Now, however, they have come to an agreement to source water from the Lasham pumping station on the A339 Basingstoke Road, using their own water carrier vehicles. "We are doing our level best to put the fire out, but the barns are packed out so tightly, and the contents are so dense, that it is difficult to pull them out to allow the fire to breath and burn," said Mr Purnell. The concern is also that when the material is damped down it will increase the pressure inside which will cause it to reignite. It is not known how the fire started and, due to the unsecured nature of the open ended barn, the Fire Service has not initiated an investigation. According to Mr Purnell, it could have been ignited, either illegally or in error, or it could have been due to internal combustion. "We are never likely to know," he said. But on Tuesday, with the pall still hanging over Alton, and the sun beating down on the blazing barns, everyone on site was earnestly praying for rain.
