We don't yet know what caused today's fire at the new housing at Glasdir. This may never become public. There's already much speculation that the cheapness of the housing has somehow contributed to or exacerbated the damage. Damage that resulted in one of a pair of semis completely destroyed and reduced to a pile of rubble.
These houses have gone up incredibly quickly. And, somewhat like the 1970 prefabs of Maes Hafod, they're modular. They're also timber-framed. This in itself doesn't mean that the properties are unsafe. Wood's been used (abroad) for hundreds of years. In fact, much of the town centre is timber-framed, albeit with 'modernised' exteriors.
The fire nevertheless casts a question mark over the safety of these homes. This, we trust, will become clearer as an investigation continues. I suspect, though, that in five years' time we will have forgotten about the fire or, if not, there will be a vague feeling that there was something but we won't be able to put our finger on it. With every consecutive wave of housing, we tend to find fault. We observe from our own perspective at what is going on around us and we tend to be critical. That's probably because none of us want more development (but we're happy with the homes we're in).
In the meantime, we have what people are assuming is an unsafe housing estate liable to fire on the one hand; and what people perceive as a flood-prone estate on the other...
It started at about 4 this morning and reduced this home to rubble. Note the hose continues to play on the pile and the smoke from it. There was also a pungent, biting smell over western Rhuthun/Ruthin
These houses have gone up incredibly quickly. And, somewhat like the 1970 prefabs of Maes Hafod, they're modular. They're also timber-framed. This in itself doesn't mean that the properties are unsafe. Wood's been used (abroad) for hundreds of years. In fact, much of the town centre is timber-framed, albeit with 'modernised' exteriors.
At its height, two fire crews from Rhyl, and one each from Dinbych, Yr Wyddgrud and Wrecsam attended
All we need now is pestilence. On second thoughts.
How things looked before the fire. It affected the block on the right and reduced that on the extreme right to rubble