'˜We would have come into a pile of ash'... manager praises firefighters after bowling alley blaze
Seven crews tackled a blaze at the MFA Bowling Centre on Sunday evening (September 17).
The fire service said smoke filled the building in Albion Way after a fire broke out in the cladding of the roof.
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Hide AdBowling alley area manager Matt Scotney paid tribute to the fire service, thanking crews for their ‘superb’ response.
He said: “The fire guys put the fire out so quickly. They were absolutely fantastic. Ten-11 minutes later and we would have been looking at a lot worse damage.
“If it hadn’t been for them the staff and the managers would have been coming into a pile of ash.
“They must have been here quick sharp to act as quickly as they did to stop a massive disaster.
“What a service these guys provide. I mean wow.”
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Hide AdHe said when firefighters first arrived on the scene, the building was empty. As they entered, they triggered an intruder alarm and manager - Steve Allen - was alerted. Steve stayed on the scene all night.
The following morning maintenance work was carried out before the bowling alley opened as usual.
Matt added: “The fire damage was to the exterior of the building and there was virtually no internal damage, so it’s very much business as usual.”
No-one was injured in the blaze.
Firefighters used four breathing apparatus, one hose reel and a water jet to extinguish the flames.
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Hide AdThe fire service said the flames were put out by 12.30am on Monday but crews remained at the scene carrying out investigations for a further hour.
The building is owned by Horsham District Council and is leased to national chain MFA Bowl.
A spokesman for the council said: “The council’s property services team have visited the location to review the extent of the fire damage and consider it to be relatively minor. As a result, the bowling alley is still open to the public and is fully operational.
“The fire affected a section of the roof, which is of a tiled construction and cladding was not a factor in the incident.”
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Hide AdPolice were also called and officers have opened an arson investigation following the blaze.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101, quoting serial 1445 of 17/09.
Related stories: Arson investigation launched over Horsham bowling centre fire