On January 31, a large fire broke out at Bradford's Carlton Bolling College. Fanned by gale-force winds, the blaze - thought to have been started deliberately - tore through classrooms, destroying 15 in all. Bradford Central Fire Station's Red Watch was first on the scene as the massive inferno raged. T&A reporter Drew Kendell describes the rollercoaster drama that unfolded as 150 firefighters fought for four hours to save the building.

AT 8.42PM Red Watch was looking forward to its traditional last-shift-of-the-week curry.

As one crew member busied himself with chapattis in the canteen, others prepared to break from their station duties for the spicy 9pm supper.

One minute later the station was filled by the warning klaxon, sparking the building into action - the third time in as many hours.

As Sub-officer Eric Wilson tore the emerging incident sheet from a clicking printer, the 13-strong crew at Bradford Central Station clambered aboard the already roaring engines.

In a matter of seconds the men's hungry anticipation of supper was lost among soaring adrenaline levels which prepared them for the task ahead.

As firemen pulled on protective clothing in the speeding vehicle, heartbeats quickened and mouths become dry - especially among the newer members of the crew. For most this pre-incident buzz is what the job's all about. On "bread-and-butter" jobs such as car fires or skips, there might be a bit of "banter" between the men, but on the big jobs there's very little non-essential chat. Much of the journey will be spent with preparations such as putting on breathing apparatus and discussing the operation ahead.

On this call-out the incident sheet directed the engines to Carlton Bolling College in the Undercliffe area of Bradford. The expansive school site is a notorious dumping and burning ground for stolen cars - indeed, five skeletal chassis littered the grounds.

Initial expectations of yet another torched vehicle were lost as the appliances neared the Undercliffe Lane site, glowing bright with the intensity of the blaze.

The most senior ranking member of the team, Sub-officer Eric Wilson took initial charge of the operation, and it was quickly apparent that extra support was needed. Red Watch had a major incident on its hands - a fire which would take more than three hours to control and involve 150 firemen from across the county.

Bradford's Assistant Divisional Officer Brian Robson said: "The weather on the night made it an unusual situation to say the least. The wind made a great deal of difference - the men had to work a lot harder because of it.

"It was one of the most labour-intensive fires of the year so far. For us it was a success because we saved most of the buildings. We got a result."

On reaching the site, firefighter Mick Blum, recalled: "At the entrance of the playground we found a padlocked security post blocking the way. We had to break this with a sledgehammer before getting in."

By 8.52, just ten minutes after the klaxon sounded, the crew of one engine was already tackling the flames.

Sub-officer Wilson said: "There was a serious danger the flames, whipped up by winds up to 85mph, would destroy the sports hall. The classrooms were already effectively written off but we aimed to save the neighbouring buildings."

Under these situations there is a massive amount of mutual trust between "the troops" and incident commander. He has to have full confidence in their ability to do the job well. They need to trust his assessment of "the bigger picture" and be confident that he will not put their lives at danger.

Once the classrooms were empty, the first priority was to stop the fire spreading by using "stop jets" to cool the area between the advancing flames and the 'untouched' section of the building.

Fire fighter Richard Emmett explained: "The stop jets were directed to a natural break in the classrooms but the wind was causing the flames to jump across and around it."

Whipped up by the gale-force conditions, the flames quickly breached the "buffer zone" and lurched towards the large bulk of the sports hall.

"Once it had gone through to the next classroom, the three or four after it went very quickly," he said..

In a final attempt to save the building, the crew pulled back and set up a last-line-of-defence jet on the point at which the flaming classrooms met the hall. An engine on each side of the building pumped two stop jets each to create a protective cooling curtain across the width of the building.

The men not directly involved located nearby hydrants to supply the hoses. With two jets running at full capacity, one engine's tanks lasts just 90 seconds.

It was soon clear the racing gusts of wind were producing serious problems elsewhere.

The swirling drafts tugged the roaring fire backwards through the building as well as forwards, ripping through the classrooms in its path. Metal roofing panels buckled and twisted in the searing heat as windows blackened and shattered. The station's newest recruit, Simon Blackburn, was among six fire fighters entering the blazing section within minutes of arriving. In accordance with the force's rigorous safety codes, those using breathing apparatus never work alone.

On stepping into the blistering environment he recalls: "Everything in the classroom was well alight. The wind was causing the flames to roll back across the ceiling."

His rigorous training alerted him to the potential hazard and, along with his colleagues, he retreated to fight the flames from outside.

Meanwhile, the ferocious weather was playing havoc with an aerial platform ladder craned to around 40 ft, 20ft above the sports hall.

Recent repair work saw roles of bitumen felt left sitting on the roof - potential fuel for the advancing flames.

"There was also the danger that gas cylinders may have been close by, leaving a chance of a large explosion," says fire fighter Bob Troth. Extreme caution was required until the area was deemed to be safe.

Fire fighter Troth adds: "The wind was causing the cage to move quite a bit but, more importantly, it was dispersing the water. As soon as the jet was three feet out of the hose, it was being broken up and blown aside, leaving it with little or no effect on the flames."

The aerial platform was given a "roving brief" to move to either side of the building in a bid to target the flames - largely without success.

Meanwhile, Assistant Divisional Officer Martin Day was called in to take the lead role, allowing Sub-officer Wilson to head the water supply operation.

As the minutes crept on, further reinforcements were summoned. As time went on more reinforcements arrived on the scene and by 11.30pm, there were 15 pumps and eight specials on site.

By midnight, the fire was largely under control and the operation strategy altered.

With the blaze's back broken, fire fighters were kitted out in breathing apparatus and waited in line to enter the classroom block via a side entrance. Details of those inside the burning building - up to six at a time - were marked on "BA board", allowing the sector commander to see exactly who is where and how much air they had left. As one firemen emerged from the smoking doorway, another stepped through to take his place.

In sector two, fire fighters Richard Emmett and Mick Blum broke through fire doors at the rear of the sports hall and were able to tackle it head on.

Fire fighter Blum says: "The platform was having problems above but we were able to get to the roof from inside."

More than three hours after arriving on the scene, the pair were relieved to pause for a cup of tea at the refreshment pod. A five-minute brew behind them, the men pulled on their BA kits and joined those waiting to enter the classroom block.

More than four hours after their arrival, and with the battle won, the Bradford Central team were relieved of their duties and boarded engines back to the station. As they sat, tired and dirty in the vehicle rocking in the high winds, spirits were high among the men.

Fire fighter Troth says: "After a job like that there is a great sense of camaraderie among the men. There are laughs and jokes and people look back on the night. It's one of the great parts of the job."

By 1.45am Red Watch was finally tucking into its curry - albeit five hours later than planned. The business-like conversation centred around the night's events - what went well, how things could be improved. These "post-mortems" can only serve to help improve the next job. Still buzzing from the night's events, sleep will not have come quickly to the men.

Their talk was cut short by the sound of the klaxon again. Then it was time to call on that "bit in reserve". By the time Red Watch's shift ended at 9am, the klaxon sounded another three times...

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.