Emergency response exercise held just days before fire ripped through town centre

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

An emergency response exercise was held just days before a fire ripped through town centre buildings causing residents to be evacuated.

Monmouthshire County Council set up a reception centre at Abergavenny Leisure Centre in response to the blaze that engulfed the Magic Cottage charity shop on Sunday evening, November 10. The fire came just just four days after a similar scenario had been role played by the local authority and emergency services.

The council said 12 residents were taken to the reception centre at the leisure centre on Old Hereford Road, though no injuries were reported.

Caldicot Castle

Just days earlier Monmouthshire County Council and emergency services held an emergency response training exercise at Caldicot Leisure Centre based on the scenario of a large scale fire breaking out during an event at Caldicot Castle.

The Wednesday, November 6 exercise involved 45 council and emergency services staff and those from partner agencies such as the Red Cross and St John Ambulance and more than 87 volunteers who played the role of survivors.

Will McLean, Monmouthshire County Counci’s director with responsibility for emergency planning and who attended the event at Caldicot, described having to put plans in place so soon after testing them as “remarkable”.

Aim

He said: “The exact aim of those scenarios is to help all the agencies work together. It’s fortuitous we had those plans in place and had exercised them and then executed them last night. It’s remarkable really.”

Council leader Mary Ann Brocklesby said the reception centre had closed by Monday afternoon and people had been taken there from Radstock Court which is behind Frogmore Street.

In a press release issued last week about the training exercise council cabinet member, Cllr Ben Callard, was quoted as saying: “We hope we never have to implement these plans, but by practising them, we can ensure we are ready to take action.”

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it responded to to reports of a fire at The Magic Cottage charity shop at 8.33pm on Sunday, November 10 and at the height of the incident there were 14 fire engines, four water bowsers, two aerial appliances and a high volume pump used to control the fire, with approximately 100 firefighters at the scene.

They were supported by crews from Mid and West Wales, Hereford and Worcester and Gloucester Fire and Rescue Services.