The fire last August knocked out TV, radio and other communications services in North Yorkshire, Teesside and parts of County Durham.
The mast on the North York Moors was left severely damaged and had to be demolished in October. Investigations were initially hampered as the fire took several days to extinguish, with a 300 metre exclusion zone put in place.
However, forensic investigators were able to visit the site on several occasions. And following the demolition, investigators were finally able to cut open the tubular structure of the mast. This allowed them to carry out detailed examinations of internal structures, materials and contents.
Arson was ruled out by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Mast operator Arqiva says it understands there had been water ingress to an electrical component connected to third-party equipment at the mast.
While investigations have now completed, the insurance claims process is still ongoing. As a result, further details can’t yet be published. However, Arqiva says it intends to provide a further update as soon as possible.
Signal restoration process
Most households who lost their TV signal now have access to at least the main Freeview channels.
A shorter, temporary mast close to the original mast site is providing partial coverage across the affected area. In addition, a network of temporary transmitter sites is helping to fill in further coverage holes. Some households along the Durham Coast have had their aerials repointed to another transmitter. A small number of viewers were offered Freesat installations. Others were given a voucher to spend on a streaming device to continue accessing TV services online.
Work is underway to build a new mast, which will be just over 300 metres in height. The height enables line-of-sight to the mast from all sides of the North York Moors. The replacement mast is due to go live in 2023. It will restore Freeview coverage to how it was before the fire on 10th August 2021.
In the meantime, Arqiva has confirmed it has completed “comprehensive inspections” of 48 key transmitter sites around the UK. It says “no faults or concerns were found during these additional inspections”.
Adrian Twyning, Arqiva’s Chief of Operations, said:
“Once more, I would like to apologise to all those who lost their TV and radio services as a result of the fire last August. We continue to work closely with our insurers, customers and third-party companies to ensure the continued safety, security and operational resilience of all our mast sites. We are also focused on the huge construction project underway to build a new, permanent mast at Bilsdale, which will serve the people of North Yorkshire, Tees Valley and County Durham for many years to come.”
[Image: Arqiva]