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Center Parcs fire
Around 3,500 guests and 400 staff had to be evacuated from Center Parcs at Elveden in 2002 when its leisure dome caught fire. Andy was able to take pictures from the air.
“It was my day off and I was at the golf driving range in Bury St Edmunds when I got the call – could I get to Cambridge Airport in under 30 minutes as I could share a plane with the BBC cameraman. We got in just two circuits before a five mile air exclusion zone was put in place due to the large number of media aircraft and helicopters heading for the scene.”
Sealand Fire
The Felixstowe Port tug Brightwell douses the Sealand platform while the Harwich lifeboat stands by. (June 2006)
Getting the call out to a big incident always gets the adrenaline pumping and I remember being in the office when I got the call that Sealand, or Roughs Towers, was on fire seven nautical miles off Felixstowe. Obviously when I got to Felixstowe it was a speck on the horizon, thinking quickly I phoned Rod Markham who has fishing boats at Felixstowe Ferry and with whom I have spent many happy days dangling rods out at sea. Luckily he was not out on charter so with a reporter we got on board his boat, looking rather strange booted and suited, and headed for the scene. I was trying to keep a 300ml telephoto lens steady on a rocking sea to get some exclusive pictures.
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