We'll listen to any serious offer, says fire union leader

Firefighters' union leader Andy Gilchrist says his union is prepared to consider any "serious and significant" pay offer.

Arriving in Edinburgh to address a rally of more than 700 firefighters, Mr Gilchrist described the national firefighters' strike which began at 6pm last night as "100% solid".

The first night of Britain's first national fire service strike in 25 years brought three deaths.

An elderly man died following a house fire in Burnley, Lancashire, an elderly man died in a fire in his flat in Halesowen, West Midlands, and a 76-year-old woman died after a fire broke out at her home in Newtown, Powys, an hour after the strike began.

In all three cases, rescuers were quickly on the scene and it was not immediately known whether the strike had any effect on the outcome.

At the Edinburgh rally, Mr Gilchrist said: "Firefighters take seriously any death in any fire that they attend and our condolences are with the families and friends."

He went on to "applaud and pay tribute" to striking firefighters who turned out in last night's tragedies but were unsuccessful.

"They were again prepared to risk their lives in order to save others," said Mr Gilchrist.

Mr Gilchrist says his union has always been prepared to talk about modernisation - "but properly thought-up modernisation" that took the service forward.

"That is the position that the employers need to wrestle with and the government need to consider," he said.