Thermal imaging camera used during blaze at UK jail

Forty prisoners were evacuated from a jail in Wiltshire after a fire broke out in a residential building. A Fire Investigation Officer was sent to the incident but it is believed the blaze was accidental.

No-one was injured in the fire which started at around 9.00am on Wednesday morning. The fire crew used a mechanical fan to clear smoke from the building and a specialist thermal imaging camera to check the blaze had not spread. The inmates from the affected block have been transferred to another part of the jail.

A Wiltshire Fire Service spokesperson said they were able to deal with the fire quickly because only a few weeks ago they carried out a drill to familiarize themselves with the jail’s layout.

Darren Nixon, Station Manager, was in charge of the incident. He said: "One of the reasons for carrying out the exercise in January was to allow crews to familiarize themselves with the issues that may arise if there was an emergency situation at the prison. The incident today has allowed us to apply that knowledge to the benefit of all concerned.”

Thermal imaging technology is available from e2v, which has a 30 year heritage in the industry. Further information on the Argus handheld thermal imaging camera from e2v can be found by visiting www.argusdirect.com/fire.