Skegness Magazine

Boys raise alarm to save Pier Theatre from fire

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Source: Skegness Standard 1975

SKEGNESS Pier Theatre and the end of the pier were saved from being ravaged by fire on Thursday night when two schoolboys raised the alarm.
Fire broke out on the wooden decking some hours after workmen had finished doing welding work on metal supports along the pier. A spark possibly fell between the wood and smoldered —eventually to burst into flame.
Firemen were called out after the alarm was raised by two Skegness schoolboys.
Wayne Pilcher (14) of 35 Sandbeck Avenue and Kevin Beard (15) of Wainfleet Road were taking a dog for a walk along the beach at about 7.20 pm when they spotted the fire.
BURNING WOOD
They saw the flames and burning pieces of wood falling under the pier and into the sea.
Wayne, who attends Skegness Lumley School, and Kevin, who goes to the Morris School, ran to Tower Esplanade and phoned the police and fire brigade from there.
Firemen arrived at the pier at 7.27 pm and found that the decking outside the theatre was on fire. They used two jets to put out the flames and used saws to cut away most of the damaged wood.
About 20 square yards of decking were lost altogether. Two Skegness appliances and one from Wainfleet went to the incident.
A fire brigade officer said later that if the fire had not been spotted and reported when it was, it could have destroyed the theatre and the end of the pier.
GRATEFUL
Mr Mike Blee, the pier manager, said he and the pier owners were grateful to the boys for what they had done. He added that the fire started about three hours after the welding work had finished.
Mr Blee thought any spark would have taken quite a while to get a hold on the decking as it is made of Austalian jarrah wood which is very hard and almost fire-resistant.

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