Twin brothers praised for putting out blaze

Derek Lines and his twin brother Shane Lines both work at the Speedy depot on the Bridge Industrial Estate in Fareham, near junction 11 of the M27.

While the pair were heading back to the depot from one of their daily fuel deliveries, Derek and Shane noticed that smoke was billowing up from the adjacent yard, which is owned by Fareham Borough Council.

Armed with fire extinguishers, Derek and Shane jumped over the gate into the yard, tackling the fire as they waited for the arrival of the fire service.

The council said that had it not been for the actions of the twins, there could have been substantial damage to its yard.

Depot manager Dave Cummings said that the action of the brothers was a tremendous act of courage and bravery.

He said: ‘Derek and Shane’s quick thinking helped to avert a potentially dangerous fire which could have had a knock-on effect for our depot and other nearby businesses.

‘I commend them for their bravery for going above and beyond what was required of them.’

Councillor Tiffany Harper, executive member for streetscene at Fareham Borough Council, also thanked Derek and Shane for their quick thinking.

Fareham Borough Council’s streetscene team deals with landscape management, street furniture, car park issues and general waste.

She said: ‘I would like to thank Derek and Shane for their quick actions.

‘If they hadn’t taken the steps they took it could have been a much more serious incident, potentially damaging our fleet, putting our crews in danger and causing a knock-on effect for our residents.’

Cllr Harper added that damage to the fleet would have greatly hindered the council’s ability to deal with residents’ issues.

The fire started due to a hydraulic leak, which had set one of the bin lorries in the yard on fire last month.