The community have rallied in support of a CrossFit gym after the building was one of several units ravaged by a major fire on London Road on July 25.
Deemed to have been started accidentally in a car workshop, the fire spread rapidly through the shared roof and surrounding units were soon enveloped. Five of 14 units were destroyed, with a further two suffering significant smoke damage.
CrossFit St Albans (CFSA) was one of the buildings caught helplessly in the fire’s march. Gym manager Claudia Luscombe-White was working in the gym on that fateful morning.
She told StAlbansNEWS: “We had just started a 10.45 am class, I managed to evacuate everyone safely. Bless them, they left everything as it was and managed to get themselves up the ramp and their cars out safely. I’m really grateful that nobody got hurt, that’s one thing at least.
“It’s completely destroyed. We could see the rig, essentially an adult climbing frame made up of steel, buckling under the heat. There was no thought of getting anywhere near the building let alone trying to salvage any of the equipment.”
CFSA set up a GoFundMe page in the wake of the fire that destroyed their home of nine years, and have received
a flood of donations and support from the local community. At the time of writing, over £32,000 has been raised.
Claudia said: “The thing about CrossFit is they are bloody good people, the community really pulls together. It’s been mind-blowing and overwhelming how supportive the community have been, it’s been quite life-affirming.”
As the gym awaits for insurance money to come through, the money donated will be redirected to paying their coaches and for hunting for a new place to call home.
Masterhubs Bushells Barn have already offered up their fields for use this summer. CFSA ran their first outside session on August 8.
Claudia remarked: “That’s the kind of level of kindness we’ve experienced. At times like this, humans step up and we get to see the best of people.
“We’re offering a free fitness class in August just because we’ve been so blown away by the kindness of everybody.
As well as the community, Claudia and the CFSA said they were “humbled” by the incredible work of the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Simon Tuhill, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, said: “Our crews spent over 13 hours fighting the fire which started in a car workshop in London Road, St Albans.
“At the height of the incident we had 13 appliances and 60 firefighters on the scene. We used our aerial ladder platform, Command Support Unit and equipment from the Incident Support Unit to tackle the fire. We also made use of the HFRS drone to assist incident commanders with situational awareness.
“Over the course of the whole incident we had 30 fire engines at the fire, consisting of approximately 130 firefighters and officers.
“The incident was particularly challenging due to the spread of fire in the communal roof area, meaning it spread to adjacent units. Crews worked really hard to contain it and save as much of the building as possible, achieving this by aggressively creating fire breaks. This was hard and arduous work in very smoky and hot conditions using breathing apparatus, ladders and heavy cutting equipment. I’m very proud of the sheer tenacity shown by all crews who were at the fire.”
To donate to CFSA, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-help-us-rebuild-our-gym-and-community
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