Fire aftermath – building lies in a smoking ruin

The fierce fire that raged through a building in the industrial area last night is still smouldering this morning. The old Birchsons Electrical building, that was now used to store waste paper, went up in flames fanned by strong winds.

Witnesses said the fire started when a person living in a shack on the premises of a neighbouring building started a fire, presumably to make food, that somehow went out of control and spread.

Fire personnel was soon on the scene but their efforts to quell the initial flames were hampered by the lack of water in the nearby fire hydrants.

The fire fighters battled the blaze valiantly and managed to stop it from spreading to adjacent buildings.