Fire at the Pine Shop

Type: Commercial Location: Ottery St Mary, Exeter, Devon

A serious fire has destroyed the roof and second floor to The Pine Shop in the centre of Ottery St Mary. We have been appointed to carry out a safety report, to arrange temporary safety measures and to project manage the reconstruction of the building. This involves design of a new roof structure to replace the existing, repair and reconstruction of the external timber frame front wall and a schedule of work for repairs and reinstatement.

We were called to site late Friday afternoon on the day of the fire where we met the Loss Adjuster, owner of the building and Building Inspector. We advised the Building Inspector on the safety of the building and liaised with the fire brigade with regard to immediate measures to safeguard the building. We then managed to organise a scaffold contractor, demolition contractor and asbestos survey for eight o’clock the following morning so that debris could be cleared from the road and essential scaffold shoring erected to secure the building and to stabilise the walls prior to forecast high winds. The walls at high level had lost their restraint from the roof structure and required temporary support until such time a new roof has been constructed to tie the building together.

By the following Monday we managed to organise a contractor to commence work in clearing debris from inside the building, reconstructing the front wall and roof structure. The work is progressing well with the aim of early completion of external works so the scaffold can be removed.