Worcester Cathedral hosts major fire exercise

Children were rescued and historic artefacts saved during a training exercise that imagined a huge fire at Worcester Cathedral.

Firefighters and ambulance workers took part in Sunday's training, which saw water pumped up from the River Severn.

The exercise was inspired by events such as the catastrophic blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019.

The Dean of Worcester said it was vital they learned how to protect "irreplaceable, priceless items".

Drama students played the part of visitors who needed to be rescued, with some used to practice medical techniques.

Jonathon Pryce, chief fire officer, of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue, said one of his first ever jobs was arriving on scene at the Windsor Castle blaze of 1992.

"The first few hours of that operation was about salvage and removal of really important and valuable artefacts," he said.

The cathedral is home to the tombs of King John and Prince Arthur, Henry VIII's eldest son.

The Dean of Worcester, the Very Reverend Peter Atkinson, said: "We have an historic library and it's one of the most important in the country.

"That's where our most fragile artefacts are kept. Medieval books, Anglo-Saxon charters, King John's will - irreplaceable, priceless items."

Crews from Worcester, Pershore, Malvern, Upton-upon-Severn, Evesham, Pebworth and Broadway fire stations took part, along with West Midlands Fire Service.

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