Bilsdale Transmitter Fire Knocks Out TV, Radio and Mobile in Region

A major fire at Arqiva’s (Cellnex) 315 metre tall Bilsdale Transmitter site in North Yorkshire (England) has knocked out TV and radio services for more than 1 million surrounding premises. On top of that, mobile (2G, 3G and 4G) services from O2, EE, Three UK and Vodafone have also been disrupted.

Admittedly, the impact upon mobile network services won’t be quite as severe since a lot of larger nearby communities will also be supported by smaller mast and rooftop sites. But it’s still a significant event for the wider area, especially those who live in smaller rural villages.

Most of the mobile operators could only say that they were aware of a problem in the area, although Three UK did offer a longer statement: “We’re sorry for any disruption you experience. Our engineers are working on masts nearby, which means the rest of our network is handling more traffic than usual.”

The fire, which appears to have been triggered by a lightning strike (not yet confirmed), began yesterday afternoon in a single-storey stone building and then spread to the transmitter mast – three other buildings on-site were unaffected. The North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS), which has since extinguished the blaze, are now concerned about the structural integrity of the mast. A 300m exclusion zone remains around the mast.

NYFRS Statement (Yesterday)

The initial call came at 13:19 from an engineer working at the transmitter, stating that he believed the mast was on fire due to smoke coming from below the first stay level (approximately 50 – 60 metres up). Calls were also received from members of the public who could see the smoke from some distance.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service worked to control the fire in difficult circumstances and extinguished a fire in a single-storey stone building and a 315ft transmitter mast. Only one building in a complex of four was affected and there are concerns about the structural integrity of the mast.

A 300m exclusion zone has been put in place around the mast.

Eight pumps from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident and firefighting has now ceased until the site has been confirmed as safe for further work.

The incident was attended by crews from Helmsley, Malton, Thirsk, Danby, Coulby Newham, Ripon, Northallerton and Acomb in addition to mobile water bowsers from Tadcaster and Boroughbridge.

NYFRS will be working on site tomorrow with Arqiva, the site operators, to bring the incident to safe conclusion.

A Spokesperson for the BBC said:

“TV and radio services are being disrupted in parts of North Yorkshire and Teesside following a fire at the Bilsdale transmitter. We’re in close contact with the company that runs the transmitter who are working on restoring services. For those in the affected area, BBC Radio Tees is still available on BBC Sounds and online, as are the BBC’s other radio stations. BBC TV can be viewed through BBC iPlayer and on cable and satellite platforms.”

Arqiva is understood to be moving temporary transmitter equipment to the site, although it’s unclear how long this will take to be deployed, and it seems unlikely to restore full service for all locals (the old mast did quite a big job). Credits to Steve for spotting.