We’ve been finding out a bit more information about Thursday’s explosion and fire in the flat above the chemist in the Crosspool shopping precinct.
The exact cause of how the fire started just after 9:05am is not known. The tenant suspects that it was probably sparked by an electrical fault.
Nicky, Pharmacist at the Crosspool (Greencross) Chemist said, “We realised there was a problem when we heard two loud bangs from the apartment above. the tenant and myself battled the fire with extinguishers in an attempt to quell the flames, but soon realised that the fire was too fierce.”
Passer-by Patrick Scott, caretaker at Lydgate School, encouraged Nicky and the tenant to leave the premises and call the fire brigade. Thankfully no-one sustained serious injuries.
The first indication for shoppers in the precinct that there was something wrong, was when black smoke was seen billowing from the rear of the apartment at around 9:15am, and the swift arrival of two fire engines.
Fire fighters soon had the fire under control, and the building was declared safe, with the chemist shop reopening later that morning.
Other than smoke damage to the flat and the chemist below sustaining minor water damage, the majority of damage, largely as a result of the tenant’s presence of mind to close interior doors, was confined to the apartment’s lounge and its contents.
Crosspool News - crosspool.info 