The 20th of November 1992 represents one of those memorable dates that many people will be able to recall exactly where they were and what they were doing at the time.
Four staff members in particular, who remain serving with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, will always remember this time as it marks the day Windsor Castle caught fire.
During the 30th anniversary year of this historic incident, we find out what it was like for some of those who found themselves on duty that day. These individuals were called upon to help manage operations and tackle the fire – a fire which caused the shocking destruction of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Berkshire residence, and cost more than £36 million to restore to its former glory.
The call
At 11.37am, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Control room was alerted to a fire in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. Five Berkshire appliances and two senior officers were immediately mobilised.
Following an investigation, it is believed that the fire was started by a spotlight igniting a curtain while restoration works were being carried out in the chapel. The fire spread rapidly, assisted by the building’s materials and the high-level ceiling void of the 185ft St George’s Hall.
Firefighters from six counties, including Berkshire, London, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire were sent to the scene to tackle the fire.
After many hours of arduous firefighting, crews were able to bring the main fire under control using firefighting jets, aerial appliances and cutting fire breaks in the thick lead-covered roofs.
Ultimately, 36 fire appliances, seven specialist units, 25 officers and more than 200 firefighters were deployed before the fire was deemed to be fully under control.
Paul Thomas, Group Manager, Response and Resilience Manager, West Berkshire
In November 2022, Paul received his 30-year-long service and good conduct medal at Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Annual Awards. One of the most memorable incidents he recalls during his service is the Windsor Castle fire.
At 27 years old, Paul had been on Station with Red Watch for just six weeks, having recently returned from training school to Dee Road Fire Station in Tilehurst, Reading.
On the day of the fire, Red Watch had just completed some routine training in the appliance bay, when over the radio came a priority message from the fire officer in charge at Windsor castle: ‘Make pumps ten!’
Initially, it was thought this may have been a training exercise, but further radio traffic would confirm this was no exercise and was in fact a major incident.
Further assistance messages arrived – ‘Make pumps 20’, then, ‘Make pumps 25’ and as a fresh-faced firefighter, Paul and the rest of Red Watch arrived in Windsor having been held on standby at Maidenhead. Paul explained that he couldn’t believe his eyes as huge plumes of smoke billowed out of the castle’s roof.
His first task was to remove priceless artwork from the walls of the chapel and carry out ornamental pieces of furniture. He recalls climbing up ladders in St George’s Hall and having to unscrew paintings from the wall until it became too dangerous to do so due to the amount of smoke filling the room.
He will never forget being lifted over the castle on a hydraulic platform and looking down on the scene to see the inside of the castle glowing completely red. He remembers the Brunswick Tower resembling a huge Roman Candle firework.
One particularly surreal moment that will always remain with Paul was the sight of the Service’s then Assistant Chief Fire Officer Lynn Ashfield talking to a lady wearing a headscarf and raincoat who he then realised to be Her Late Majesty the Queen.
Phil Knight, Station Manager Newbury Fire Station, White Watch
Phil had been in the service for six years and was working as a retained firefighter at Newbury Fire Station. After hearing the ‘make pumps ten’ alert, he recalled first being deployed to Reading and then to Windsor Fire Station.
Phil remembers climbing up the training tower with his colleagues at Windsor Fire Station to take a look at the castle and seeing a huge plume of smoke. Meanwhile, more appliances were being deployed to the incident.
The streets in and around Windsor were crammed with well-wishers and Phil was surprised to see many of them clapping and cheering fire crews travelling towards the castle.
Phil recalls firefighting in St George’s Hall and standing in what was thought to be a safe area under a doorway next to his colleague. After edging a little too far forwards on the branch he felt a tap on his back and was told to move backwards. As he did so, a large piece of masonry fell where he and his crew member had been standing.
Phil explained that he learnt a valuable lesson that day. No matter who you are – whether it’s the Queen of the United Kingdom looking on at the destruction of her castle, a member of the community living in a semi-detached home, or a homeless person with a tent – fire doesn’t discriminate.
Lee Arslett, ICT Service Delivery Manager
Lee Arslett was a young 26-year-old Communications Technician studying at the Fire Service College in Morton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. That afternoon, at around 4pm, he received a call asking him to return to Berkshire and make his way to Windsor Fire Station to relieve his manager who had already been at the scene of the fire for six hours.
His job was to monitor and replenish the radios used by the firefighting crews.
Lee explained that one of the biggest challenges was maintaining effective communications during the incident. The areas of working within the castle were separated by granite walls that were over a metre thick in places. This environment prevents radios from working effectively. Therefore, small sector radio groups were needed in each area.
Lee continued to explain that much was learned from the Windsor Castle fire incident with regards to operating and maintaining an effective communications network.
Following the incident, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue’s communications department liaised closely with castle staff to ensure new equipment was installed which would, for example, allow fire crews to tap into aerials on the castle’s high points, therefore enabling signals to pass either side of thick solid walls.
Due to how the castle was built, many rooms contained large ceiling voids up to 2m deep, plus much of the wall panelling had gaps behind it. Lee remembers fire whistling around inside the rooms without people realising the fire was actually present and posing a real danger.
One particularly memorable scene was when Lee recalled the shock of seeing so many fire appliances at the scene, one of which had sunk up to its axle in deep mud.
Tracy Hawkins, Health and Safety Manager
Tracy has worked for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue for 34 years, nine of which were in Fire Control. In 1992, Tracy was a member of Red Watch in Fire Control and was on duty on the day of the fire. She remembers it being a fairly quiet morning up to the point that they got ‘the’ call.
She explained that certain sensitive addresses in the county had a direct telephone line into the control room, and every morning they would carry out a test call to the control room to check the line was working. Typically, it was a short conversation along the lines of, ‘Morning, Windsor Castle here, just testing’, and that was that until the next day.
After being notified of the fire, things suddenly became very busy, and Tracy was on the radio position for a large part of the day.
She recalls that every time there was a ‘make-up’ of pumps, it became clear that there was a serious fire developing. The atmosphere in the control room changed and everyone soon sensed that they would become part of a significant historical event.
One particular challenge was trying to get to grips with call signs from over the border (OTB) appliances that weren’t Berkshire’s usual regular customers. She also remembers starting to receive calls from the world’s media as the story started to break which she found quite exciting. It was a day when no one wanted to go home.
The role of Fire Control in supporting the response was recognised by the Royal Victorian Medal being awarded to the Officer in Charge of Fire Control that day, Senior Fire Control Officer, Chris Glenn.
Facts and figures
- Ultimately, 36 pumping appliances, seven specialist units, 25 officers and more than 200 firefighters were deployed before the fire was deemed to be fully under control.
- Containment was achieved within five hours, but the weight of attack was maintained for a further eight hours before the operations started scaling down.
- At the height of the incident, water from 31 jets and from monitors on two hydraulic platforms with a turntable ladder were used to contain the fire. These were kept supplied by private hydrants in a reservoir, an auxiliary main from the River Thames, a swimming pool and the town’s mains.
- Extensive use of breathing apparatus (BA) was also required, and it was estimated that 80 BA wearers were at one time deployed simultaneously, with 750 cylinders being used over the duration of the incident.
- Emergency evacuation procedures had to be adopted twice during the incident because of fears for the safety of crews who were committed inside the building during floor and roof collapses.
- Joining Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service were crews from London, Surrey, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire.
- Five firefighters were taken to hospital from the effects of dealing with the fire, while a further three were treated by Royal Ambulance Service personnel on site.
- In total, more than 100 rooms were said to have been damaged.
- The Brunswick and Chester Towers, Red, Green and White Drawing Rooms, State Dining Room, Private Chapel, Grand Reception Room and St George’s Hall were all severely damaged in the fire. However, the unique Waterloo Chamber and the Ante and Garter Throne Rooms remained virtually undamaged thanks to firefighters’ proficient response to the emergency.
- A £36.5-million repair project has returned the castle to its former glory, with £15 million-worth of fire-prevention equipment added to its defences to avoid a repeat of the fire.
About the Author
Berkshire and Reading Fire Brigade
Berkshire and Reading Fire Brigade was formed in 1948 and was later renamed in 1974 to Royal Berkshire Fire Brigade and again in 1985 to Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS). The Service provides prevention, protection and response services across the Royal County of Berkshire, covering 488 square miles, from Langley in the East to Lambourn in the West. It serves a diverse cultural population of approximately 917,000. RBFRS is under the direction of a combined Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, which is made up of representatives from the county’s six unitary authorities.
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