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 | | Monday, 16 July, 2001, 12:49 GMT 13:49 UK Fire crews refuse to help military  More than 70 homes were evacuated during the fire Fire crews from outside the Merseyside area have refused to attend a huge fire in Southport, after being asked to intervene by the military. Green Godesses were left to deal with the fire at a scrapyard, and more than 70 houses were evacuated overnight. The fire, which broke out at 1730BST on Sunday, was the biggest incident to be dealt with by military firefighters during the four-day-old strike by Merseyside's firefighters. Martin Gallagher, the chairman of the Fire Brigades Union in Lancashire, said: "Under the current arrangements governing the dispute, the chief fire officer in Lancashire has suspended all reciprocal arrangements." Petrol and cylinders More than 200 people were moved from their homes during the fire at Audley's yard in the High Park area of Southport. Scrap cars, tyres, petrol and cylinders were burning during the incident.
Police in Lancashire advised people living in nearby Scarisbrick, Burscough and Ormskirk to stay indoors. Meanwhile, the military is being forced to deal with vandalized water hydrants. Hoax calls have also been going on throughout the industrial action. Chief fire officer Malcolm Saunders said: " We are getting a lot of fires in rubbish at an abnormal level." Health and Safety Over 1,000 fire-fighters are protesting over plans to recruit civilian staff to posts previously reserved for experienced fire-fighters. Andy Gilchrist, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union said: "Firefighters in Lancashire and Cheshire have got one paramount objective and that is their own safety. "We are not convinced at all about the health and safety procedures that are being utilized on Merseyside. "On Merseyside and around the country, the enormous sympathy for the firefighters will only escalate." Fire cover is being provided by some 530 men and women from the Army, RAF and Royal Navy. No-one was injured during the scrap yard fire. | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top UK stories now:  Links to more UK stories are at the foot of the page. | |||||||||||||||||||
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