One Bayside fire probe examines rooftop construction materials

Fire investigators are examining raw construction materials on the roof of One Bayside as they work to establish the cause of Wednesday night’s dramatic blaze, with early indications suggesting it may have been accidental.

The Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service said no single ignition source had yet been identified and warned it could prove difficult to determine exactly how the fire started.

Insulation material is among the possible sources being considered, while waterproofing material stored around the pool area is suspected of having contributed to the thick black smoke.

Investigators returned to the site on Thursday with Scenes of Crime officers from the Royal Gibraltar Police and inspectors from the Health and Safety Inspectorate as the probe continued.

GFRS Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Payas said lessons would be learnt, as he praised firefighters for their rapid response to challenging conditions.

And with the tall buildings now the norm across Gibraltar, he said the GFRS' new 45-metre aerial platform would have significantly strengthened the response to the fire.

The high-reach vehicle, which is currently being built, could potentially have allowed crews to attack the rooftop blaze remotely from ground level.

The fire broke out just after 8pm on Wednesday at the One Bayside building under construction near the Sundial roundabout.

Around 50 firefighters from the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service and the Airport Fire and Rescue Service were deployed, with additional crews brought in to increase manpower and water capacity.

The blaze, which was concentrated on the roof of the 12-storey building, was brought under control and extinguished shortly after 10pm.

No injuries were reported and the fire remained confined to the construction site.

Mr Payas praised frontline crews for doing an “amazing job” in what he described as a “traumatic, challenging and demanding” incident.

A preliminary investigation has already been carried out, including interviews with the contractor, but a definitive cause has yet been established.

Mr Payas said the fire may prove difficult to trace to a single ignition source, although early indications suggest it could have been accidental.

Fire crews remained on site overnight to monitor for any reignition.

Speaking after a long night for firefighters, Mr Payas told the Chronicle that despite arduous conditions, fire crews conducted dynamic risk assessments as they tackled the fire.

“We do a lot of training behind the scenes to prepare ourselves for these sorts of scenarios," he said.

"Obviously, with this one, it's not a normal scenario we get every day, but our crews are trained to perform dynamic risk assessments as the incident is unfolding."

"So it's a question of weighing the risks versus the benefits, and that is a continuous process."

“So it was traumatic. It certainly was challenging and demanding, but the guys are trained, and all the hours that we put into behind-the-scenes training kicks in when we have an incident like this.”

The fire broke out on the roof of an unfinished building, a factor which brought both advantages and significant risks.

Because the blaze was in the open air, the potential for fire spread was lower than if it had started in the lower, enclosed floors.

However, Mr Payas added that the biggest challenge came from the building still being under construction.

“The building and the construction hasn't got the active and passive fire safety measures that you would expect in a building that's fully complete," he said.

"Those measures are there to help or protect the occupants and also facilitate our operations."

"And those fire safety measures are not in place in a building that's under construction, so that's a major challenge for us."

Firefighters initially accessed the incident via the internal staircase and then used the cargo lift to move equipment to the top of the 12‑storey structure.

Mr Payas highlighted the physical toll on crews, who had to climb to the roof and then immediately confront the fire.

“I know there's pictures going around of firefighters and it looks quite dramatic," he said.

"This morning we went up there and we saw the actual site in in daylight, and it's about perspective."

"It's quite far away where those firefighters were and where the actual fire was confined to."

A preliminary investigation has already been carried out, including interviews with the contractor.

Mr Payas said there were large quantities of raw construction materials stored on the roof, but that no single cause has yet been confirmed.

“There obviously has to be an ignition source," he said.

"There weren't any works being conducted at the time."

"What you have there is raw materials. And if we look at fire resistant capabilities of materials, most of those, when you put everything together and they are correctly installed, that is when they give the properties that they should when a building is complete."

"So there was a lot of raw materials, and we are not disregarding anything, but it seems like it could be accidental."

“But it's early stages to determine what's actually caused the fire. It's going to be difficult to determine.”

Mr Payas said insulation material could have been the ignition source or the material that first ignited.

Waterproofing material used in the pool can also ignite at sufficiently high temperatures and it was this that is suspected of having caused the thick black smoke

While Mr Payas said that it may prove difficult to determine the exact ignition source, he also said it would be “foolish” not to learn from every incident.

The fire safety team is already in discussions with the contractor and expects to make recommendations aimed at improving response and access for future construction projects.

Earlier this month GFRS signed off a key stage in the construction of a new high-reach aerial ladder platform designed to improve its ability to respond to emergencies at height and in difficult-to-reach locations across Gibraltar.

A GFRS delegation had travelled to the Bronto Skylift factory in Tampere, Finland, to inspect the boom package and telescopic assembly of the new vehicle.

This new piece of equipment would have “definitely” helped firefighters tackle the blaze.

“The top where the fire occurred is 39 meters, and the reach of the new aerial laser platform is 45 meters, it has thermal image capabilities and it has a remote monitor at the top," Mr Payas said.

"So in essence, we could have potentially extinguished the fire without any human intervention at the top initially, with remote controls from the bottom."

Crews remained on site throughout the night, using thermal imaging equipment to identify and eliminate any hotspots.

At around 10:30–11:00am on Thursday fire investigators returned to the scene with Scenes of Crime officers from the Royal Gibraltar Police and inspectors from the Health and Safety Inspectorate.

Their joint assessment confirmed that the affected area could be safely handed over to the health and safety authorities and the contractor.

While the building’s structure was deemed safe, inspectors for the contractor will carry out further checks on the scaffolding, crane and plant and machinery on the roof.

Mr Payas was keen to acknowledge and thank his own teams and colleagues at the Airport Fire and Rescue Service.

He described his own role as tactical commander was “easy” compared to the “risky work” carried out by firefighters at height with limited facilities and the demanding task of getting water and equipment to the roof.

“I want to thank them for the amazing job they did," he said.

"It's not easy to tackle a fire at that height with no facilities and getting water to that height."

"That involved a lot of physical work, a lot of rotation of crews, and I need to thank our initial attendants."

He praised the first crews on site for their rapid response in tackling not only the main fire on the roof but also addressing early concerns about possible fire spread to lower floors.

“They quickly redeployed, tackled the fire, extinguished that fire, and then went up to continue fighting the fire on the roof,” he said.

He also thanked colleagues from the Airport Fire and Rescue Service who "bring a massive capability" for us in terms of pumping capacity.