fire firegeezer on 31 Jul 2008 07:45 am
Burned Pier Sparks Treasure Hunt
WHEN THE AMUSEMENT PIER AT WESTON, SOMERSET in England burned down Monday (see Firegeezer report and videos HERE), it was only a matter of hours before rumors began circulating about lost treasure.
The arcade on the Grand Pier contained 370 slot machines which are known to sometimes hold as much as £1,000 in coins in each of them. Couple that with the wild stories going around that the company safes containing a quarter-million Pounds in them had dropped through the burning floor into the surf below, and you’ve got a mad scramble on the seashore of treasure seekers.
In reality, the slots (”fruit machines” in local parlance) are still on the pier, all of them melted by the fire along with their coinage into big blobs of metal. The pier’s owner, Kerry Michael, said that the only safe in the pier that did partially fall through the floor is wedged among steel pilings just beneath and is not yet accessible.
Along with the rumors, those fabulous English tabloids have whipped up the treasure tale even more and now thousands of people are swarming onto the beach in hopes of a lucky strike.
The Avon and Somerset Police have cordoned off the entire pier with a 1,000-ft. exclusion zone to keep the treasure seekers away from the danger of falling debris and hazardous chunks of torn metal and nails hidden in the sand beneath the pier.
The good news is that the landward end of the pier is safe for use and business are reopening on it. A cafe and a gift shop are already back in business. Mr. Michael says that he will be keeping all of his employees on the payroll and they have also started setting up some amusements and shopping venues on the pier. Using the wreckage as a tourist attraction, he began doing business again Thursday morning.
Kerry and Michelle Michael hold a press conference prior
to re-opening the pier this morning. (Mercury photo)
The cause of the fire is still undetermined, but the owner publicly stated that arson has been ruled out. But the fire officials have denied that, saying that they cannot yet rule that conclusion in or out. Investigations are just getting underway.
Sources:
The Daily Record
BBC News
Weston & Somerset Mercury
Press Association
The PA interviewed a couple of shop owners on how the fire has impacted their business:
