Bristol fire latest: Historic boat yard severely damaged, council issue statement

Pictures taken this morning show the devastating damage caused by a major fire on Bristol’s harbourside in the early hours of this morning (May 6). The blaze centred on the Underfall boat yard - an area used to repair boats that also has a cafe.

Dozens of firefighters responded to the fire at 12.42am, while people took pictures and video showing a huge flame from the site. Meanwhile, 20 residents living nearby, along with their pets, were evacuated from houses and boats.

As the sun rose this morning, firefighters were seen on site dampening down the areas impacted by the fire. Several boats and buildings at the yard are clearly damaged in pictures taken this morning.

An open water swimming pilot in the Harbourside, which started last weekend, has been cancelled this morning.

Bristol City Council issued a statement on Twitter. It said: “A fire started at Underfall Yard in the early hours of Saturday (6 May) morning. @AvonFireRescue & @ASPolice is currently onsite, and Avon and Somerset Police have evacuated around 20 nearby residents and their pets (in houses and boats) to a place of safety.

“We will do all we can to support the ongoing incident. We remain at the scene and are working with our partners in the emergency services to assess the full extent of the situation and investigate the cause of the fire.

“In the meantime, please avoid the area. The open water swimming pilot in Baltic Wharf that is due to take place at 8am today is cancelled. This is because the fire has led to debris in the harbour water & excess water being used to tackle the fire is entering the harbour.

“Once the fire has been extinguished, further water quality assessments will be carried out by the Harbour and the @EnvAgency. To keep updated with the latest information, please follow Avon Fire & Rescue Service Control (@AFRSControl ) on Twitter. “