Fire at former Broadmoor hospital site

A fire at the former site of Broadmoor Hospital at Crowthorne in Berkshire has been brought under control.

The high-security psychiatric hospital is known for housing some of the most notorious criminals in the UK, such as Ronnie Kray and the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe.

On Saturday (May 25th), fire services were called to the facility to deal with a fire that broke out at a derelict building on the old site of the hospital. The actively functioning area of the site has not been affected.

As the service dealt with the fire, the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Statement released an update on the situation.

In total, some forty firefighters were called from Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey in order to control the fire.

As well as this, officers from Thames Valley Police and Berkshire Search and Rescue assisted in helping to control the fire.

Derelict

Paul Bremble, Area Manager, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:

“This was a significant fire at a derelict building on the old Broadmoor Hospital site which required a large response from our Service and our partners.

“Although there was significant damage inside the building, crews worked effectively to contain the fire and prevent it spreading.”

Danger

Broadmoor Hospital opened in 1863, and initially was meant to treat men who had severe mental illnesses that had committed serious crimes that made them a danger to themselves and others.

Since then, the hospital has gone to provide treatment for patients that have severe mental health conditions that require high security measures.

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