Faulty fan blamed for early morning Butlins fire

A FAULT in an electrical extractor fan has been found to be the cause of a fire which broke out in the early hours of Monday, November 26, at the Butlins holiday centre, in Minehead.
Fire investigators determined the blaze, which damaged six chalets and a large area of roofing, was started accidentally.
The fire happened at about 5.40 am and there were initial reports that people may have been trapped in the chalets, which turned out to be incorrect.
Fire and rescue crews from Minehead, Porlock, Williton, Wiveliscombe, and Taunton all attended the scene.

Investigation after early hours blaze in Butlins chalets

AN investigation is underway into the cause of a fire which broke out in Butlins holiday centre, in Minehead, in the early hours of Monday, November 26.
Firefighters rushed to the centre after initial reports indicated that people might be trapped by the blaze.
The alarm was sounded shortly after 5.30 am when the fire was spotted in a block of chalets.
The roof of the building was alight when the fire crews reached the scene, but they were quickly able to determine that nobody was inside the 150 yards long by 100 yards wide block.
Eight of the chalets were damaged by heat and fire, with three of them heavily smoke logged.
Two fire crews attended from Minehead and others from Porlock and Williton, as well as a command support unit from Wiveliscombe and an incident support unit from Taunton.
They used four breathing apparatus and two hose reel jets to tackle the blaze, which is thought may have been started by an electrical fault.