Evening News 24 - Probe into leisure centre blaze

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Probe into leisure centre blaze

29 June 2005 12:55

A seaside leisure centre in Great Yarmouth's Golden Mile was closed today after 50 firefighters tackled a blaze.

Customers and staff were evacuated from the Marina Centre on Marine Parade after a fire broke out in a sauna.

The centre was still open when the fire broke out on the ground floor at about 9.50pm. The blaze was under control by 11pm.

A fire investigation at the centre, which is managed by Leisure Connection on behalf of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, started this morning.

A spokeswoman for the centre said it was closed today. The centre is normally open from 6.30am to 10.30pm.

"We have not got any electricity and it smells of smoke," she said. She added it was not known when the centre would reopen.

A fire spokesman said it did not appear to be suspicious and they were looking at the cause of the fire as possibly electrical.

"There was a fairly good covering of smoke throughout the building," Alan Jaye, watch manager at Yarmouth said.

Dozens of people lined the streets around the centre and congregated outside arcades and takeaways to watch about 50 fire-fighters tackle the blaze.

Fire crews responded to an automatic alarm and six fire engines from Norfolk and Suffolk converged on the building. No one was hurt.

Assistant divisional officer Mick Hawkins from Yarmouth said he was happy with the way the incident had been dealt with.

He said: "The centre was still trading when the fire broke out and procedures to clear the building were initiated.

"The evacuation procedures all went well and the building was cleared without anyone being injured.

"When we arrived, the fire in the sauna had led to a lot of smoke, and the whole building was well smoke logged.

"And at one point the fire threatened to spread through the ceiling to the floor above, but it was contained."

Fire crews from Yarmouth, Gorleston, Acle and Lowestoft attended plus the fire control unit from Wymondham.