From fires to car crashes, building collapses to extreme weather conditions, the Burnley Express has covered all manner of emergency incidents across the town.
These photographs, taken from old copies of the Express and digitised by the Burnley Civic Trust, show just a few of the incidents that took place in the 1970s and 80s.
For anybody who would like to see more images from the town’s past, Burnley Civic Trust archive rooms are now open to a restricted number of volunteers who have been vaccinated.
More information can be found at www.bcthic.org.
For anybody who would like to see more images from the town’s past, Burnley Civic Trust archive rooms are now open to a restricted number of volunteers who have been vaccinated.
5. Blaze hits Cliviger colliery
July 24, 1981. Two days of production was lost at Cliviger Coal Co. this week, when fire broke out at the pit head. A shed containing winching equipment was completely burnt out and repairs had to be made to this before production could continue yesterday. A spokesman for the fire brigade said that nearby residents tried to put the fire out with buckets of water, before they arrived. A quantity of clothing was also lost in the blaze. Photo: Unknown
6. Tar blaze closes road
May 20, 1980. Oxford Mill Co, Burnley Road, Harle Syke. Firemen fought to quell a sea of flames from blazing tar and diesel fuel, which spilled on to the main Burnley Road through Harle Syke during Friday's lunchtime rush period. Police had to divert traffic away from the are for about an hour as two pumps, using a special detergent foam mixture were employed to snuff out the flames. The situation, described as "extremely dangerous while it lasted," developed when a faulty pump on a tar boiler overheated, burst into flames, and set fire to a 49 gallon tank of diesel fuel. Photo: Unknown
7. A close shave!
Westgate, Burnley. February 5, 1980 Two demolition men had a miraculous escape on Sunday when they plunged 27 feet from falling brickwork and scaffolding at Westgate. John England, 34, and Steven Burrows, 20, were working on empty property when one of the buildings collapsed, almost burying their pick-up van and blocking the road. John, still shaken, said that the building had started to vibrate as an unloaded juggernaut transporter thundered past, everything began to shake and then the whole lot came down and they just jumped. He walked away with just a grazed write, and Steven with a ripped jumper. They had been taking the building down by hand because of shaky foundations. The work was being carried out by Burnley Building and Construction for North West Estates. Mr. Brian Combe a Director of the company said the scaffolding probably save the men s lives. The building was over 100 years old and not built to stand the heavy traffic now on Westgate. Yesterday, workmen were taking down the rest of the building. Mr. Guy Gardener, deputy Borough surveyor, said building inspectors had closed part of the road until the site was safe. The building which collapsed, 27 and 29 Westgate, had a compulsory purchase order on it and the Council had told the owners to pull it down as it was unsafe. Photo: Unknown
8. Water main blows its top
Finsley Gate, Burnley. June 22, 1973. A major disaster was averted after a 60-foot high fountain of water shot into the air when an excavator snapped off the valve to the mains under Finsley Gate this week. The roadway became a torrent, Calder Water Board engineers struggled to turn off the supply. Within 15 minutes the 18-inch trunk main water pipe was under control, thanks to a lucky coincidence. "It just so happened that we had a spare valve in stock. We aren't always prepared for a major burst like this" said a water board spokesman. He described the burst, which cut off water supplies in the immediate area for more than two hours, as very serious. "If we hadn't had the spare in stock, it could have taken months to repair the main" he said. Water burst from the mains when the driver of the excavator accidentally pulled off the concealed cap to the valve. But no one was near the pipe when it burst and no one was injured. But as the fountain soared into the air, some cars continued to travel along the road, despite falling rubble and soil. Photo: Unknown