The Stansted burning bus

[DavidofMersea]

Is it just me, or do others think the response to the burning bus was OTT? The bus was out the front of the terminal building and most of the people were well inside and planes were far away. According to the BBC the fire was put out in 50 minutes, but flights were delayed and/or cancelled for many hours after

 

[CCJ]

Is it just me, or do others think the response to the burning bus was OTT? The bus was out the front of the terminal building and most of the people were well inside and planes were far away. According to the BBC the fire was put out in 50 minutes, but flights were delayed and/or cancelled for many hours after

Quite a bonfire under the building canopy, no doubt the shuttle was made of GRP & that burns well & difficult to extinguish, so structural checks on the structure would have had to have been done, hence stopping all inbound pax

 

[pvb]

Totally OTT, it's our country's H&S culture. But the only losers are the passengers who didn't get to fly.

 

[Hadenough]

Totally OTT, it's our country's H&S culture. But the only losers are the passengers who didn't get to fly.

In my experience the losers are the passengers who do get to fly I avoid it as much as possible.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

It seemed to be at the main entrance so rather tricky to get people in and out of the terminus. I can’t see the plane companies being chuffed to fly empty.

 

[alant]

Is it just me, or do others think the response to the burning bus was OTT? The bus was out the front of the terminal building and most of the people were well inside and planes were far away. According to the BBC the fire was put out in 50 minutes, but flights were delayed and/or cancelled for many hours after

Wasn't the area saturated with noxious smoke?
Not a healthy environment for local elderly residents to occupy.

 

[PeterWright]

As I understand it, the key decision was to evacuate the security checking area when smoke started getting into there. The choice was to move the people back towards the fire or forward to the air side and the latter option was taken for the obvious reason. Once unchecked people, with their luggagehad been allowed to get air side, no departures could be permitted until the whole air side area had been cleared and verified clear of all unauthorised people, a process which necessarily would take several hours. It was at this stage that they took the decision to cancel all departures for that evening.

There were only 2 ways to avoid this outcome: the first to evacuate the security checking area towards the source of the smoke which necessitated the evacuation, the second to allow flights to depart with a substantial number of passengers who had not been through security checks. In today's environment with a customer expectation of zero risk, I do not believe the airport operator could reasonably have taken either of those options.

Peter.

 

[DavidofMersea]

It seemed to be at the main entrance so rather tricky to get people in and out of the terminus. I can’t see the plane companies being chuffed to fly empty.

There are two "main entrances". The one where the fire was was the one used by passengers being dropped off from cars and taxis and the shuttle bus. The other main entrance is on the level below and is where coach and train passengers enter the terminal.

 

[DavidofMersea]

As I understand it, the key decision was to evacuate the security checking area when smoke started getting into there.

Peter.

I would be surprised if smoke was getting into security checking area, as this is on the far side of the check in desks, and I am doubtful that if the main door was closed, no smoke would get in there either

 

[ex-Gladys]

And the relationship between this thread and East Coast boating is????

 

[DavidofMersea]

And the relationship between this thread and East Coast boating is????

Many East Coast boaters fly out of Stansted

 

[CCJ]

Many East Coast boaters fly of of Stansted

out of shirley ??

 

[photodog]

out of shirley ??

Where’s Shirley?

 

[Stork_III]

Where’s Shirley?

Nearer Birmingham airport than Stansted.

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

Nearer Birmingham airport than Stansted.

Birmingham Airport is at Elmdon. Shirley is on the far west of Solihull but I admit it is nearer to Brum airport than Stanstead. You can’t fly from there though, no airstrip!