Minster firefighters reunite 40 years after blaze

Steve Alderton, John MacKenzie and Tony Ambler were among the firefighters who tackled the blaze at York Minster

Firefighters who tackled a blaze which destroyed part of York Minster have reunited on its roof to mark the 40th anniversary.

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, joined the former crew members for a service at the minster on Tuesday.

The South Transept was gutted by flames on 9 July 1984 after lightning struck the roof, resulting in one of the worst cathedral fires in modern times.

One of the firefighters, Tony Burnett, said it was “wonderful to be part of the minster’s history”.

The South Transept of York Minster was gutted by flames on 9 July 1984 after lightning struck the roof

He said: “Well, it is certainly different now compared to that night, as it was hot, smoky and we were tired and getting wet from the water being used on the roof.

“But now it’s tranquil here on the roof and it’s lovely to be back with my former colleagues from that night.

“We think it’s wonderful to be part of that history, but on the night we just did what we were being paid for and did not consider ourselves to be heroes at all, we just went on the roof and did what we could.”

The archbishop added it was “very moving“ to attend the service and chat to some of the firefighters, as without them being there on that night, the blaze could have caused “total devastation”.

Tony Burnett said it was "hot, smoky and we were tired and getting wet"

The damage from the fire took more than four years to repair at a cost of more than £2.25m.

Other former firefighters - Steve Alderton, John MacKenzie and Tony Ambler - said they were a back-up crew which was scrambled to the centre of York without knowing which building was on fire.

Mr Ambler said: "We knew as we set off we were going to find something big because we had been called as back-up.

"On the way to the minster it was bone dry, but there was lightning all over the place which we thought was a bit odd. There was no rain, no thunder, we couldn't work it out."

Asked to describe the danger of the situation, Mr MacKenzie said: "I suppose it was dangerous, but we're not daft, so we don't gratuitously put ourselves in danger, we took care of ourselves."

The firefighters took a trip up to the roof of the South Transept where the fire began

The firefighters could not say how much water was used quenching the flames which engulfed the cathedral, but Mr Ambler said it had been "an awful lot".

"We took from the River Ouse in the end," he said, "after we used hydrants and our appliances."

Mr Ambler said: "Obviously there are no plans on how to fight a fire in a several hundred year-old building, so we had to use our eyes and ears.

"The crews from Acomb who were there got a brilliant stop, because they protected the tower and when the roof did collapse it took the timbers with it, rather than doing any damage to the tower."

It took four years and £2.25m to repair the damage caused by the fire at York Minster

A year-long exhibition, Out of the Ashes, which tells the story of how the fire unfolded, opened at the minster on 29 June.

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