THE roof on the Fulford Place flats was the only one of its type on a residential building in York, according to a York member of the fire authority.

Coun Keith Aspden, a Liberal Democrat member of North Yorkshire fire authority and the councillor for Fulford, welcomed the report of an investigation into the blaze.

A summary of the report into the fire that swept through the roof space over flats in Fulford Place on May 13 said firefighters did not anticipate facing similar fires in the near future.

Mr Aspden said: "Many residents will be very interested in the report findings, and it is certainly important for the fire service and City of York Council to continue to work together to prevent further incidents like the Fulford Place fire.

"I am confident that the fire service will continue to review current techniques in relation to fighting fires in roofs, but one of the key findings is that it is believed that this is the only example of this modern roof construction in York."

On the night of the fire, 80 firefighters spent most of the night dealing with the blaze which left 60 people homeless.

In Saturday's Evening Press we reported that residents of the fire-ravaged block said they were scared to sleep at night following the report's findings.

It showed an apparent failure to comply with three sets of building regulations and stated that the fire, started by a burning rag on the roof, should not have spread as quickly as it did.

Mr Aspden said the key points in the report are:

It is believed that this is the only example of this modern roof construction in York - which means the fire service does not anticipate having to face similar fires in the near future

The fire service will, nevertheless, continue to review current techniques in relation to fighting fires in roofs

The fire service has forged a strong partnership with the City of York Council that has already produced a new agreement to share information on new building works, outside of the statutory consultation protocols

Fire safety officers and building control officers will maintain a close relationship with an eye to capturing information on new building techniques at an early stage.

The fire service is supporting City of York Council in the prominent position it has taken on lobbying the Government for changes to the Buildings Regulations.

The report is due to be discussed at the Combined Fire Authority meeting in Easingwold on Friday.

Updated: 14:46 Monday, September 05, 2005