The year is 1913. In Britain women are burning buildings and planting bombs: and all this for something that in a hundred years time will completely take for granted a woman’s right to vote. Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley, BBC 2018
This new tactic of arson is a big shift in gear … More than 160 attacks. ibid.
Ancient Rome: As many as a hundred fires break out every year … some are catastrophic. Rome Revealed s1e4: Heart of the Empire, National Geographic 2010
As World War II finally ends an infamous cold case begins. Five siblings vanish in an instant ... Can new evidence finally reveal answers – what really happened to the notorious Sodder children? History’s Greatest Mysteries s3e8: The Sodder Children Disappearance, History 2022
Jennie wakes up suddenly. She smells smoke … Within minutes Jennie, George and four of their children run outside. But as far as they know, the remaining five are trapped upstairs. ibid.
‘None of the remains of the five children were ever found in the dirth of the fire.’ ibid.
Nicola and Joanne died in their bedroom from the poisonous smoke of a burning settee. The inquest gave the cause of death as ‘inhalation of toxic fumes’. Two weeks ago ten people died in Woolworth’s Manchester store following a fire at the furniture department. World in Action: Armchair Inferno, ITV 1979
Polyurethane foam was invented 25 years ago. It revolutionised the furniture business, creating new designs and comfort. But if polyurethane catches fire, it burns fast producing enormous heat, dense black smoke and toxic gasses which kill within minutes. ibid.
This is the Boeing 737 aeroplane. It is the workhorse of British charter airlines and dozens of other airlines around the world … On August 22nd this year at 12 minutes past 7 in the morning the 737’s proud reputation suffered a sudden blow. The sound of an exploding engine echoed across Manchester airport … [and] caught fire as it was about to take off. Within a few minutes 54 holidaymakers had died in the inferno that cut the plane in two. World in Action: The Last Days of Juliet Lima, ITV 1985
Behind the tragic scenes of that fateful day which brought the prime minister to Manchester lies the history of a troubled engine. ibid.
Darkness at noon. A team risking their lives in a fight against fires 200 feet high. Tonight, the men who are paid up to £2000 a week to tackle the aftermath of a bitter and devastating war. World in Action: The Most Dangerous Job in the World, ITV 1995
The elite of the world’s firefighters … [in] a competition to cap the most oilwells in Kuwait … The men are working in a battlefield. ibid.
This boy at 11 years old is too dangerous to be allowed his freedom. For the last five months, Mini has been at this Aycliffe assessment centre in Country Durham. Inside Story: Mini, BBC 1975
‘So I glanced at a box of matches. I was standing there and there was a whole box of matches … I said this is too much temptation. It’s got to happen …’ ibid.
Concorde, the airliner that makes supersonic travel a reality. Sleek and graceful, flying twice the speed of sound, a symbol of prestige with a perfect safety record. But 113 people will perish in just 120 seconds. Seconds from Disaster s1e1: Crash of the Concorde, National Geographic 2004
Paris, France, July 25 2000, Flight AF50, supersonic to New York: Concorde accelerates down the 4,000-metre runway … Caught on camera by the wife of a truck driver … of Concorde on fire. ibid.
The plane stalls and plunges to the ground. It’s 4:45 p.m. ibid.
113 die: 4 from the hotel and 109 passengers and crew from Concorde. Rescuers begin the gruesome task of pulling the bodies from the crash site. ibid.
A sudden loss of power in both engines under the left wing … There’s not enough tarmac to stop safely … The engines become the new focus of the investigation. ibid.
Investigators found several fragments of tyre on the runway; one of them weighs four and a half kilograms. Tests quickly confirm they belong to Concorde. It’s a significant lead. ibid.
The tyre burst during taxiing … This 43-centimetre mystery strip of metal. When you match the 43-centimetre strip of metal to the damage on Concorde’s tyre, it’s a perfect fit. Suddenly, the whole Inquiry depends on the source of this metal. ibid.
The metal strip comes from the engine mountain of a DC-10 … a Continental Airlines DC10 took off five minutes before Concorde. ibid.
Europe, France, Mont Blanc, March 24th 1999, 10:30 a.m.: The world’s deepest tunnel cut through solid rock lies 2478 metres beneath Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain. It’s a vital road link between France and Italy … More than 5,000 vehicles use the tunnel every day, including tourists, locals and lorries. Seconds from Disaster s1e2: Tunnel Inferno
The first signs of trouble: white smoke is escaping from behind his cab … Suddenly, it explodes … producing more and more thick black smoke … It’s a living nightmare. Most of those trapped are unconscious within minutes. ibid.
Such is the ferocity of the fire that it burns for 53 hours. Only then can firefighter pick their way through the charred debris. They’re horrified to discover the remains of the 38 trapped people. ibid.
M/S Scandinavian Star is an ocean-going ferry. For 19 years she carries thousands of passengers and vehicles across the seas. Until a routine crossing turns deadly for 482 people in just 45 minutes. Seconds from Disaster s1e4: Fire on the Star
Fire alarms go off on the bridge to warn the captain … He sounds the ship’s general alarm to alert everyone on board. ibid.
The fire is completely out of control … The final victim count at the rear of Deck 5 is 76 … A pile of bedding on Deck 3 ignited … Something is fuelling the fire as it races through the ship … The wall lining is in fact extremely flammable. ibid.
North Vietnam, July 1967: America is bogged down in a messy ground war in North Vietnam. The body count is rising fast. Over 6,600 US military personnel have died. Seconds from Disaster s3e2: Aircraft Carrier Explosion
Sailing to her first tour of duty in Vietnam is the biggest of them all: USS Forrestal … a crew of 5,400 men. ibid.
The explosives are in poor condition … A flash and a loud bang; jet fuel stills on to the flight deck and spreads rapidly; a massive fire rips through the Skyhawk planes … The world’s biggest aircraft carrier, USS Forrestal, is on fire. ibid.
She lists badly and sailors struggle to fight fire above and below decks … They jettison multi-million-dollar planes and tons of bombs into the ocean … It takes another 16 hours to extinguish the fires below deck … 134 men are dead. ibid.
He seemed to set all his fires in crowded places during the day where people could potentially die. Very Scary People s3e11: John Orr: The Firestarter: Chasing a Pyromaniac I, CI 2021
The loss of life in a popular retail story made headlines in southern California. ibid. comment
John Orr participated in all three investigations that night. ibid.
In the 2 years that followed, there would be more than 6,500 fires in southern California. ibid.
One of our own was setting fires. ibid. investigator
As the years go by, more fire are set. A pattern emerges. Investigators realise there is a serial arsonist on the loose, and it could be one of their own. Very Scary People s3e12: John Orr: The Firestarter: Chasing a Pyromaniac II
Points of Origin: More like a diary than fiction. ibid. comment
My dad was my hero and my sister’s hero. ibid. family
How was he there before the first responders? ibid. comment
Human Torch, Kentucky, 2016: Cameras capture a spontaneous combustion. At a gas station is a nightmare scenario … The cameras film something extraordinary. The unfortunate customer is Owensboro local, Josh Hamilton … The number of lithium-iodide fires in increasing]. Strange Evidence s1e1, History 2024
In many different cultures similar myths exist about fire being given to man by the gods. Ancient Aliens s3e9: Aliens and Deadly Weapons, History 2011