Discarded Cigarette Blamed for Watermans Arts Centre Fire
Ground floor and roof of empty building damaged in blaze
Fire fighters examine the damage to the Watermans Arts Centre. Picture: Guy Lambert
June 7, 2024
An investigation by London Fire brigade has concluded that the fire at the Watermans Arts Centre this Wednesday morning was started by a carelessly discarded cigarette.
Investigators found that the fire initially took hold outside the building and it is believed that accumulated rubbish piled up by a door contributed to the extent of the fire.
The Fire Brigade receive the first call about the incident on High Street Brentford at 6.13am and had the incident under control just over two hours later.
Crews from Chiswick, Heston and Acton fire stations attended the scene.
The ground floor and roof of the two-storey building were partially damaged. According to a spokesperson for the centre the blaze has badly hit the venue’s smallest studio space. Water damage from fire hoses has also affected the restaurant area below. There was nobody inside the building when the fire started and there are no reports of any injuries.
The venue has been empty since it closed to the public on 11 April and it is thought likely that the damage will be a major setback to local groups hoping to take the building over for a ‘meanwhile use’ until a promised new arts centre opens nearby on Half Acre.
The Watermans Community Works (WCW) group, which has emerged from the Save Our Watermans campaign and is made up of local people from the arts and business sector ready to submit a fully costed bid for use of the centre, called for urgent action.
Steve Sargeant of the WCW said, “The fire at 40 High Street is a concerning event. Our understanding from the authorities is that it was due to a cigarette but thrown into the back door where rubbish had been piled up.
“We believe this incident only highlights the need for London Borough of Hounslow to take immediate action to secure the safe operation of this vital community asset. The closure of Watermans Arts Centre was a devastating blow to Brentford. The loss of the site without any chance for reanimation would be wholly unforgivable”.
Damage to the roof at the Watermans Arts Centre. Picture: WCW/Facebook
Ruby Almeida from WCW added, “The Council need to make their plans for meanwhile-use clear as a matter of urgency if Brentford is to hold on to a critical community resource. Our ongoing conversations with the public, through our surveys, show that people are furious that the centre ever shut without consultation or warning. Cllr Tom Bruce had promised a few days ago that the Council would be making a statement about the process for those bids. I expect Cllr Bruce to not delay any further with a statement about their commitment to the Centre.”
Damage to the interior the building. Picture: Guy Lambert
Cllr Tom Bruce, Deputy Leader of Hounslow Council and Cabinet Member for Assets, Regeneration and Development, said, “LFB have completed their investigation and confirmed the fire is being treated as accidental, believed to have been caused by the unsafe disposal of smoking materials outside the building which then spread inside.
“We will now start to assess the degree of damage to the building and the next steps. We are also liaising with the Hounslow Arts Trust, who are currently based in the building, to understand the impact on them.”
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said, "If you smoke it is vitally important you stub it right out, preferably in an ashtray.
"Always ensure your cigarette is completely out when you’ve finished smoking it. If you don’t, you risk causing a fire as you don’t know what it may land on which could potentially start a fire."
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |