‘Le Manoir’ staff praised after chimney fire

THE danger of a chimney fire dangerously spreading was averted this afternoon, by the quick thinking of staff at Raymond Blanc’s flagship hotel and Michelin star restaurant, Le Manoir auxQuat’ Saisons, at Great Milton, near Thame.

Oxfordshire County Council Fire & Rescue Service were called to a Chimney Fire at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, at 2:45pm to find that a chimney fire had caused smoke to enter a room next to a dining area, which activated the automated fire alarm. The staff had already quickly evacuated the area, called the fire service and made sure that nobody went back in to the building.

A Fire crew from Wheatley Station along with a specialist Hydraulic Platform from Oxford City, attended the incident. Fire crews quickly dealt with the fire hazard to the building and used ventilation fans to clear the smoke and the hydraulic platform to gain access the chimney to help extinguish the fire.

Incident Commander, Watch Manager Mark Keely, said: “I would like to praise the actions of the staff at Le Manoir. Their attention to detail and compliance to their clearly well drilled procedures made this potentially dangerous incident very simple to deal with. It just proves that the early warning provided by smoke detectors really does save lives and unnecessary damage to property. A key part of our role is protection & prevention and our specialist Fire Safety Officers are always keen to answer queries from members of the public and businesses alike to ensure they remain safe.”

Visit www.365alive.co.uk  for fire safety advice. If you have a fire safety question, you can call the free phone community safety helpline on 08000 325 999 or email: community.safety@oxfordshire.gov.uk