# Millennium Mills on fire



## UrbanX (Feb 5, 2015)

Not good...







http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/firefighters_tackling_blaze_at_millennium_mills_1_3945109

Strange so many places seem to catch fire after they get granted permission for new homes...


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## UE-OMJ (Feb 5, 2015)

Cripes!!!


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## SlimJim (Feb 5, 2015)

Holy crud! Not good...not good... I wonder how safe it's going to be to explore  Haven't seen it yet  It seems like once the decline of a building like this starts, it's fate is truly sealed  Sad stuff.


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## UE-OMJ (Feb 5, 2015)

There will be retirement homes there before the end of the year....


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## Conrad (Feb 5, 2015)

"Contractors working on the £12m project to transform the former Royal Docks flour mill were burning steel on the ninth floor, causing sparks to fall through holes in the floors and set alight to waste below." 

Can someone with the relevant know how fill me in, how do you "burn steel"? Is this welding or burning steel wool being thrown through holes in the floor? -_-


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## mookster (Feb 5, 2015)

Konrad said:


> "Contractors working on the £12m project to transform the former Royal Docks flour mill were burning steel on the ninth floor, causing sparks to fall through holes in the floors and set alight to waste below."
> 
> Can someone with the relevant know how fill me in, how do you "burn steel"? Is this welding or burning steel wool being thrown through holes in the floor? -_-



The more than likely explanation is they were using cutting tools such as plasma cutters etc to 'burn through' ie cut up the steel into sections to be removed, and the sparks created set fire to the waste. It probably looks worse than it actually is because other than stud walls and the areas of wooden floor there really is sod all in there to burn.


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## Conrad (Feb 5, 2015)

mookster said:


> The more than likely explanation is they were using cutting tools such as plasma cutters etc to 'burn through' ie cut up the steel into sections to be removed, and the sparks created set fire to the waste. It probably looks worse than it actually is because other than stud walls and the areas of wooden floor there really is sod all in there to burn.



Ah, thanks I follow. I hope the contractor isn't feeling too bad, assuming that its a legit accident.


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## LittleOz (Feb 6, 2015)

Doh, not the ideal place for the builders to be spinning steel wool.


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## Dirus_Strictus (Feb 6, 2015)

UrbanX said:


> Not good...
> Strange so many places seem to catch fire after they get granted permission for new homes.



Actually not strange at all - if fire starts during the conversion work. Major conversion work on buildings of this type always require the cutting of old structural steelwork with oxy-acetylene cutting gear - warm up the metal to red heat and then increase the oxygen flow. The thin strip of molten steel thus produced is blown into the surrounding air in a shower of molten globules of steal. Fires produced in this way are very common - usually dealt with by the cutting team using a water spray, any molten metal that falls into hidden spaces can soon cause a serious conflagration.


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## westinghouse (Feb 6, 2015)

I can see this building from my office window, it's not one of about 75 properties I look after in say a 5 mile radius to the north and east of its location. there is however massive investment coming in the area so a new lease of life for the old girl would be good. some fascinating history surrounds the docklands area. houses with cracks wide enough to put your arm into from when the Germans visited.


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