Fire on 1,000ft TV mast put out, but safety fears remain

Fears remain following a fire at a remote 1,000ft TV transmitter mast that disrupted broadcasts for more than a million people.

The blaze, which affected Freeview and FM radio, has been extinguished at the 1,032ft tall Bilsdale mast but concerns have been raised about its structural integrity.

A 984ft exclusion zone has been put in place around the Bilsdale transmitting centre, high on the North York Moors, north of Helmsley.

Eight pumps and crews from across the region were sent to tackle the blaze, with the first call coming from an engineer working at the transmitter shortly before 1.30pm on Tuesday.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS) said the engineer “believed the mast was on fire due to smoke coming from below the first stay level” – about 165 to 195ft up – with calls coming from members of the public who also spotted the smoke from a distance.

Crews worked in “difficult circumstances” and extinguished a fire in a “single-storey stone building” and the mast.

The service added: “Only one building in a complex of four was affected and there are concerns about the structural integrity of the mast.

NYFRS said it would be working on Wednesday with Arqiva, the site operators, “to bring the incident to a safe conclusion”.

Earlier on Tuesday, the fire was understood to be affecting transmission of a range of TV broadcasts, including Freeview coverage.

The transmitter tower was built in 1969 and currently supplies digital TV signals to a large area of north-east England.

A spokesperson for Arqiva said: “The fire at Bilsdale has caused damage to our equipment and we are currently unable to broadcast TV and radio services from this site.

“Bilsdale is under the control of the fire services. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

A BBC spokesman said: “TV and radio services are being disrupted in parts of North Yorkshire and Teesside following a fire at the Bilsdale transmitter.

“We’re in close contact with the company that runs the transmitter who are working on restoring services.

“For those in the affected area, BBC Radio Tees is still available on BBC Sounds and online, as are the BBC’s other radio stations. BBC TV can be viewed through BBC iPlayer and on cable and satellite platforms.”

Ron Needham, 71, and his wife Sue 69, witnessed smoke coming off the TV transmitter while hiking on the moors.

The couple from Wakefield stopped for lunch at the base of the mast and saw “a huge black cloud of smoke come from the buildings at the bottom”.

Mr Needham added: “The initial thoughts were that it was something of a disaster.”

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