A NEW TV series focusing on the work of firefighters in Yorkshire, captures a 600,000 tyre fire which brought parts of Bradford to a halt last winter.
Yorkshire Firefighters is a four-part BBC Two series giving a behind the scenes glimpse of the men and women on the frontline at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Filmed using the latest technology, it brings viewers closer to real-life emergencies, including seeing firefighters work to bring under control one of the biggest fires seen in Bradford in decades.
Episode one, which airs on July 29, at 8pm, sees firefighters tackling the huge tyre fire at a former go kart track at Spring Mill Street, off Manchester Road.
The fire, which began just after 3am on November 16, saw a huge response, with 15 fire engines and 90 firefighters needed at the site at its height - and burned for a week.
In a clip from the first episode, one firefighter says: "I saw the intensity and the size of it. I hope I never get a job like that again. I don't think many firefighters, in their career, have been to a job like that, which involves that many tyres and that much ferocity as a fire."
Aisling O’Connor, head of TV Commissioning for BBC England, said: “This series captures the lives of these brilliant firefighters, and highlights their dedication and determination to keeping people safe especially during a national emergency.”
Mark Robinson, creative director at Wise Owl Films, said: “It was a real privilege to follow West Yorkshire’s firefighters during a difficult winter and a global pandemic, and to see their role at the heart of the community – the same communities many come from themselves.
“Not only will viewers get to see footage - captured by helmet cameras - that plunges them into the heart of very dangerous scenarios, they will also see day-to-day life within the stations, behind closed doors.”
Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Dave Walton, said: “We are hugely excited and proud to feature in Yorkshire Firefighters which showcases the skills and expertise of the modern day Fire and Rescue Service. The programme offers a rare glimpse into the daily lives of Firefighters and our Control Room staff.
“Our teams work tirelessly around the clock to save lives whether that be as a consequence of fires, road traffic collisions, water rescues or a whole range of other types of technical rescues, and we’re excited for viewers to see what it really takes to be a Yorkshire Firefighter.”
Yorkshire Firefighters has been produced for BBC Two by Wise Owl Films, the Leeds-based factual label of Lime Pictures. The first episode airs on 29th July at 8pm. It will then run weekly every Thursday after that for three more weeks and will be available via the BBC iPlayer.
*The Environment Agency has served two enforcement notices over the suspected illegal storage of tyres at the site, firstly on the operator who failed to comply with the clearance notice, and subsequently on the landowner. Three people were arrested in connection with the Spring Mill Street fire and were released under investigation.
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