A huge fire is currently destroying a chunk of Exeter City centre

[Rapidash]

Bit of a hard one to talk about, as someone who spends most of his time there, and wants to live there.

Yesterday morning a fire started in the art gallery next to the Royal Clarence Hotel. Over 100 firefighters from several counties, along with the Police and Ambulance services, have been fighting the inferno.

In the last twenty four hours, the gallery, the hotel and many other of Exeter's older buildings have been reduced to blackened shells :cry:


Beeb

A fire in Exeter has destroyed historic buildings including what is described as the oldest hotel in England.
The fire began at around 05:00 BST in buildings on Cathedral Green in Devon and spread to the Royal Clarence Hotel, which dates back to 1769.
Guests have described being evacuated from the building, which dates back to 1769, amid flames, ash and debris.
Historian Dr Todd Gray said the Royal Clarence was the first venue in England to call itself a hotel.
Drone footage released by police has revealed the level of devastation.
South West Water has asked city centre residents to restrict water use and promised to supply bottled water for people struggling to get water from taps.

I wasn't up there yesterday to see it, but will be today. I'M not looking forward to it.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Bit of a hard one to talk about, as someone who spends most of his time there, and wants to live there.

Yesterday morning a fire started in the art gallery next to the Royal Clarence Hotel. Over 100 firefighters from several counties, along with the Police and Ambulance services, have been fighting the inferno.

In the last twenty four hours, the gallery, the hotel and many other of Exeter's older buildings have been reduced to blackened shells :cry:


Beeb



I wasn't up there yesterday to see it, but will be today. I'M not looking forward to it.

This is very sad news, I haven't looked at the news footage yet but if it is as devastating as it sounds and the buildings are beyond saving it will be such a tragic loss, please keep us informed!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Cathedral Green is an area that I have always thought as the jewel in the crown of Exeter. with its large areas laid to lawn, in which the cathedral is situated. We stayed at the Royal Clarence Hotel some years ago, as it is ideally situated for those visiting the historic parts of Exeter.

 

[J-2739]

Is the fire still going?

 

[Rapidash]

Is the fire still going?

Sadly so, it reached shops on the high street late last night. Fire crews have pumps running from the Quay as normal mains supply is insufficient.

There is still a huge plume of smoke over the cathedral which I've just seen from the train.

 

[John Webb]

Details, including the latest update at 8.15am today, from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, can be found at https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/News/Newsdesk/IncidentDetail.cfm?IncidentID=38609&siteCategoryId=3&T1ID=26&T2ID=41.
Biggest problem with old buildings is that there are frequently voids and other building features which allow the spread of fire by concealed routes through a property and often into adjacent properties - I expect this is what has happened here.

 

[J-2739]

Wow, that's really upsetting, but I can't even imagine how hard it must be for the residents who have strong memories of this area.

 

[daodao]

Sadly so, it reached shops on the high street late last night. Fire crews have pumps running from the Quay as normal mains supply is insufficient.

There is still a huge plume of smoke over the cathedral which I've just seen from the train.

Fires in Exeter's historic city centre with its narrow streets are nothing new. There are vivid descriptions in Bernard Knight's Crowner John series of detective novels set in medieval Exeter, where shortage of water made the situation worse.

 

[yorksrob]

Sounds like a terrible toll of destruction. Let's hope that there is enough photographic evidence to rebuild it as it was.

Did they manage to remove the artworks in time ?

 

[backontrack]

That is absolutely horrific. How very sad.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Sounds like a terrible toll of destruction. Let's hope that there is enough photographic evidence to rebuild it as it was.

Did they manage to remove the artworks in time ?

Indeed. Let's hope all the art is safe too, and that no-one is injured.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

According to BBC News the front of the hotel has collapsed a bit and they're getting a drone in to help assess the remaining structure.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

I'm always suspecious of big fires like this.
Did the council want to rebuild the area?
Was one of the connected buildings overvalued on insurance?
Or was it mindless vandalism or sabotage?

It won't be rebuilt as it was I bet.

 

[TheKnightWho]

I'm always suspecious of big fires like this.
Did the council want to rebuild the area?
Was one of the connected buildings overvalued on insurance?
Or was it mindless vandalism or sabotage?

It won't be rebuilt as it was I bet.

You're seriously suggesting the council would arson the city centre?

 

[yorksrob]

It won't be rebuilt as it was I bet.

I'm sure they will. After the 'Baedeker' raids of WWII, there was a tendency to rebuild historical towns in contemporary style (see other parts of Exeter and Canterbury as examples), however I think (or at least hope) that architectural heritage is valued a lot more these days.

 

[Groningen]

Or was it mindless vandalism or sabotage?

In the dutch media it is said that it was a ruptured gaspipeline that caused the fire. But that somewhere it needed a spark to ignite. Main thing is that there were no deaths. Anything can be repared (or replaced). But not human life!

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Is (or should I say was) the hotel grade 1 listed?

 

[John Webb]

Is (or should I say was) the hotel grade 1 listed?

Grade II, according to the Historic England list - see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1104027

In the dutch media it is said that it was a ruptured gaspipeline that caused the fire. But that somewhere it needed a spark to ignite. Main thing is that there were no deaths. Anything can be repared (or replaced). But not human life!

As I understand it from various sources, the gas pipe caught light as a result of the fire, and had to be left to burn while gas engineers isolated it from the gas mains in the main road outside the building.

The adjacent Art Gallery, where the fire is known to have started, appears to have been undergoing works - the façade in videos and pictures was covered in scaffolding. It is a regrettable fact that old buildings undergoing building works are particularly susceptible to fires - for example Windsor Castle and Uppark House, to name but two! If the damage is not too severe, fire investigators may be able to determine the cause of the fire; we shall have to wait and see.

There is a recent update from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-37809584 - nothing about the cause other than it started in the Art Gallery building, which was undergoing renovation. The burning gas main has been isolated. Water is being pumped from the river up to the fire scene, and one couple still managed to get married at the nearby Guildhall!

John Webb

 

[Cowley]

This has been a very bad two days for the city. You can feel an air of hushed silence around. Watching this story develop there was a feeling at first that maybe they could save it but the fire has just eaten through the building and eventually destroyed it. All that's left is part of the front wall and that's possibly too damaged to be reused.
I imagine that it will be rebuilt but it'll take a lot of time and money to do and you can't reengineer 250 years of character and history.
The thing about Exeter is there's obviously large parts of the centre that were lost during and after the war and areas like the Cathedral Green are such remarkable survivors.
It's a great shame but as someone said at least nobody died in this.

 

[richw]

In the dutch media it is said that it was a ruptured gaspipeline that caused the fire. But that somewhere it needed a spark to ignite. Main thing is that there were no deaths. Anything can be repared (or replaced). But not human life!

The fire caused the ruptured gas main rather than the other way round. Lost in translation. Interesting to learn it's made Dutch media!

 

[Groningen]

Interesting to learn it's made Dutch media!

Maybe because it is the oldest hotel in England. Almost all news paper had it, but it was always the same article.

 

[341o2]

The fire caused the ruptured gas main rather than the other way round. Lost in translation. Interesting to learn it's made Dutch media!

That is what I understand also. The fire was already in progress, the gas main added to the already extant hazard

Very sad news

 

[Busaholic]

A couple of points. It was only the oldest hotel in the sense that it was the first in the country to use the word 'hotel'.

As I happened to click on to the Radio Devon newsfeed about 10 a.m. on Friday and followed it intermittently for about two hours I can say that it was thought about 10 a.m. that the fire was past its worst, and was contained within the art gallery, and the police had even announced they were considering lifting a lot of the cordon at about 11 a.m. Then, apparently, round about 10 a.m. a rogue gust of wind (on a very still day) caused sparks to get into the roof of the Royal Clarence (no longer called that, by the way) and that was when the real problems started. Already 115 or so firemen in attendance from all over Devon, that became 155, I believe. Laura Ashley in the High Street later suffered fire damage, but quickly put out, and the cathedral itself was in danger at one stage too, so reasons to be thankful despite the damage.

 

[Cowley]

A couple of points. It was only the oldest hotel in the sense that it was the first in the country to use the word 'hotel'.

As I happened to click on to the Radio Devon newsfeed about 10 a.m. on Friday and followed it intermittently for about two hours I can say that it was thought about 10 a.m. that the fire was past its worst, and was contained within the art gallery, and the police had even announced they were considering lifting a lot of the cordon at about 11 a.m. Then, apparently, round about 10 a.m. a rogue gust of wind (on a very still day) caused sparks to get into the roof of the Royal Clarence (no longer called that, by the way) and that was when the real problems started. Already 115 or so firemen in attendance from all over Devon, that became 155, I believe. Laura Ashley in the High Street later suffered fire damage, but quickly put out, and the cathedral itself was in danger at one stage too, so reasons to be thankful despite the damage.

That's exactly right Busaholic. The top part was later 19th century although some of the ground floor I think was much older.
As someone said earlier, the building next door was where it started and is obviously having work done on it with scaffolding up etc. I'm not going to jump to conclusions without hearing the findings of the investigation, but being a decorator myself and also working on old houses (including one of the oldest Tudor properties in Exeter), I just hope there's not some poor tradesman at home wondering if he left something dodgy plugged in by mistake.
If so, ouch.

 

[bnm]

Royal Clarence (no longer called that, by the way)

Still called that by all Exonians. Still referred to as the Royal Clarence by the most recent owners, Brownsword Hotels. Yes the brand is ABode, but this location was always the Royal Clarence Hotel. Hopefully it will be again.

"Welcome to the Royal Clarence, Sir." was how I was greeted at the reception desk a couple of months ago.

 

[Busaholic]

That's exactly right Busaholic. The top part was later 19th century although some of the ground floor I think was much older.
As someone said earlier, the building next door was where it started and is obviously having work done on it with scaffolding up etc. I'm not going to jump to conclusions without hearing the findings of the investigation, but being a decorator myself and also working on old houses (including one of the oldest Tudor properties in Exeter), I just hope there's not some poor tradesman at home wondering if he left something dodgy plugged in by mistake.
If so, ouch.

Yes, as soon as I noticed that scaffolding on the videos yesterday morning that was exactly my thinking too. The police and Fire Service have not AFAIK uttered the word 'suspicious' either, but early days.

 

[Bishopstone]

Very sad. I've fond memories of that charming part of the city, from my time at university in Exeter.

 

[John Webb]

Yes, as soon as I noticed that scaffolding on the videos yesterday morning that was exactly my thinking too. The police and Fire Service have not AFAIK uttered the word 'suspicious' either, but early days.

None of the videos and news reports I've seen have attributed any cause at all. The drone videos show the buildings to be gutted, so there may not be much evidence left anyway to be investigated; and I suspect that with the structural damage to the affected buildings they may not be able to investigate in any detail due to the hazard of collapsing walls. We shall have to wait and see.

 

[221129]

Yes, as soon as I noticed that scaffolding on the videos yesterday morning that was exactly my thinking too. The police and Fire Service have not AFAIK uttered the word 'suspicious' either, but early days.

Because it's not being treated as suspicious.

 

[Busaholic]

Because it's not being treated as suspicious.

To have an open mind, you would have to say it's not being treated as non-suspicious either.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Sadly so, it reached shops on the high street late last night. Fire crews have pumps running from the Quay as normal mains supply is insufficient.

I believe that action by the fire crews was instrumental in saving the shops that you refer to.