February 2, 2023 10.18 am This story is over 23 months old

Demolition begins after Boston warehouse fire

A nearby hotel and property were evacuated

Demolition vehicles and equipment have arrived on site after a derelict five-storey building in Boston was destroyed by a fire.

Fire crews arrived at the industrial building on London Road just before 4pm. At the time the upper two floors were alight, but it quickly spread to the rest of the building. Nobody was injured in the fire.

Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue said they have been unable to determine an exact cause of the fire because of the extent of the damage and the fact the building was unsafe to enter. However, fire investigators have been able to rule out gas or electricity as the cause.

| Photo: Nathan Bryant

The Quayside Hotel & Bar in Boston will be closed for the “foreseeable future”. The 40 evacuated guests were moved into another nearby hotel in the Smartmove Hotels group – the Stanley Hotel.

Nathan Bryant, Marketing and Technical Manager at the hotel, previously told The Lincolnite that the incident caused a significant loss of stock including fresh food, but that no cancellations had been made as guests were relocated to other hotels.

He was also full of praise for the fire crews and said: “If it wasn’t for the hard work of the fire service, we are confident our building would have suffered the same fate. Their quick actions and response, and teamwork, managed to contain the fire in challenging conditions.”

| Photo: Nathan Bryant

The Quayside Hotel & Bar in Boston will be closed for the “foreseeable future”. | Photo: Nathan Bryant

The fire incident caused some additional risks and challenges to crews on site. A petrol station just opposite was a concern, so the pumps were shut off and it was temporarily closed at the time.

The railway line further down was also a concern so freight trains were temporarily stopped from travelling through until it was safe for them to resume.

| Photo: Nathan Bryant

Matt King, Divisional Commander for the East Division at Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, previously said: “We recognise that this is the second large building fire on London Road in the last six months. Whilst we don’t have a cause for this one just yet, we don’t think the two are linked in anyway.

“We recognise there will be concerns among the local community so, just as we were last time, once a cause is established we will be out in the community giving reassurance and fire safety advice.”


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