Business owners assess damage after deliberate fire at Locking industrial estate
Business owners are assessing the damage after a deliberate fire at an industrial estate in Locking, with two teenagers arrested and some units facing a year to rebuild.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Business owners at an industrial estate in Locking, near Weston-super-Mare, are counting the cost of a deliberate fire that swept through the site last week. Eight of the 16 businesses on the estate have been damaged, and some have lost everything.
The fire started in a field next to the estate, spread through trees, and quickly engulfed outbuildings, cars, and workshops. One unit, a recently renovated garage, was completely gutted. Its owner, John, said he could have been killed if the fire had happened a day later. He had slept on site the night before, in a campervan, because his family was away and he had worked late. He said: "If that was Monday, would I be here? I don't know."
John described the loss of his family business, built up over 30 years, as devastating. "What can you say? At the end of the day, it's all gone. Thirty years of a business and a family business. All my family are distraught with it."
The police investigation found the fire was likely to have been deliberate. Two teenage boys have been arrested and released on bail.
Some of the damaged units will need to be knocked down and rebuilt, a process that is expected to take at least a year. The owner of the worst-hit unit said the destruction was "surreal", describing how a thriving business community had been "absolutely decimated" in a matter of hours.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Eight of 16 businesses on the estate were damaged. | |
| Police found that a fire was likely deliberate. | |
| Two teenage boys were arrested and released on bail. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC focused on the human impact of the fire, giving detailed voice to one business owner who lost everything and narrowly avoided being on site when the fire broke out. It also reported the police investigation and arrests, but the tone was emotional and personal rather than purely factual.
- “It's surreal to come back and see what was a thriving business community here being absolutely decimated.”
- “Thirty years of a business and a family business. All my family are distraught with it.”
- “If that was Monday, would I be here? Would I be here? I don't know.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.