Up to 1,000 fish died after fire station blaze - now investigation has concluded

An investigation into the death of up to 1,000 fish linked to the blaze at Castletown and Malew fire and ambulance station has been completed.

The fish died after the Silverburn river became polluted following the fire on August 13 which also caused severe damage to the fire and ambulance station.

In the days and weeks afterwards, dog walkers were warned not to let their dogs enter the water.

The Department Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) tasked its Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) to carry out an investigation into the fish deaths which has now concluded.

The EPU has not gone into detail as to the exact cause, but Isle of Man Today understands the deaths may have been caused by foam used to tackle the fire seeping into the river.

A DEFA spokesperson said: The Department’s EPU has completed its investigation into the incident.

‘Discussions have since taken place with the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service as part of a wider multi-agency debrief to review the response and identify opportunities to strengthen arrangements aimed at preventing a similar occurrence in the future.

‘Additional monitoring will be undertaken in the coming weeks to assess the river’s recovery and inform any further action, if required.’

At the height of the incident, nine fire appliances were at the scene, including a turntable ladder and a specialist appliance from the Isle of Man Airport’s Fire and Rescue Service, along with several support vehicles and officers.

Two firefighters were injured during the blaze, and an investigation was launched into the cause of the fire which remains ongoing.

Just this week, one of the fire engines was filmed being moved away from the scene.

One appliance badly damaged in the fire station blaze was loaded onto a trailer ready to be shipped to the UK.

The charred remains of one of the fire appliances remains at the site and is likely to be scrapped as it is damaged beyond repair.

But the second fire truck was towed by Mann Recovery Services to Foxdale this morning where it was loaded onto a trailer.

From there it will be taken to Douglas port ready for shipment to the UK.

Incredibly, despite the clear damage it sustained in the blaze, the vehicle was still fit to drive.

In a statement shortly after the incident, Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service said that shortly after 5pm, the fire alarm operated within the building, alerting a member of staff who was at the premises and who discovered a fire in the main appliance room, which houses two fire appliances.

A full emergency response was mobilised from other fire stations on the island to deal with the incident.

Officers from the Isle of Man Constabulary and the Isle of Man Ambulance Service also attended the scene.

The Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the blaze caused substantial damage to part of the building.