Firefighters worked through the night to tackle a huge blaze which engulfed a Liverpool building.
Crews from Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service were called to Fox Street in Vauxhall at 2.18pm on Saturday (January 27). A four storey building was alight in a huge blaze, with smoke visible across Merseyside – including from Wirral.
More than ten fire engines and several cranes were used to tackle the fire as a major incident was declared. There were no reports of casualties, but flames ravaged the structure while thick smoke billowed into the air, as debris and ash fell onto St Anne Street and Great Homer Street.
READ MORE: Homes evacuated and smoke seen for miles as building engulfed in huge fire
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People in neighbouring buildings were evacuated and a large police cordon was in place. Crowds gathered around the cordon to watch the incident unfold.
By 5pm, the fire was no longer classed as a major incident, as firefighters reduced its main body. The operation was scaled down further as the evening went on and work continued.
There were fears that the building was at risk of collapse, but the fire service said at 7.45pm yesterday that a structural engineer attended and was satisfied with its structural integrity.
Today (January 28), Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said its teams worked overnight to ensure all hot spots have been dealt with and there is no smoke in the area.
The latest update said: "Firefighters have been using main jet and high pressure hose reels throughout the night, with relief crews checking for hot spots with the aid of lighting rigs. Late last night the incident was scaled back to one fire engine.
"One fire engine has remained, with firefighters hotspotting and using Thermal Imaging Cameras to check the area and damp down as necessary. There are now no visible hot spots or smoke in the area. Merseyside Police are still maintaining an outer cordon."
At the blaze's peak, smoke was visible across the region. Lara Buchanan, a trainee teacher, was driving through Kingsway Tunnel from Wirral when she noticed a “dark rolling cloud” of smoke. She said she could “feel the heat” of the blaze from her car and was shocked when she saw the extent of the fire.
Ms Buchanan, 23, told the PA news agency: “I could see the fire before entering the tunnel but didn’t know where it was coming from. As I came out of the tunnel into Liverpool, the sky was dark and all I could see was a black rolling cloud.
“The building was blazing alight and I could feel the heat from the car driving past. I was shocked to see the cloud and scared for whoever may be affected.”
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