Smoke could be seen across Merseyside as a building was engulfed in a huge fire.
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 from Wirral.
More than ten fire engines and several cranes were used to tackle the fire. 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.
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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.
Scarlett O'Neill, who lives at 30 Fox Street, had to be evacuated from her apartment building. She said her flatmate called her into the kitchen as they watched the fire begin to engulf the neighbouring building.
She told the ECHO: "We rang the fire service and saw the flames getting bigger. It was worrying so we decided to grab some things and leave as the smoke intensified and you could feel the heat coming from the fire through the flat windows.
"It got a lot worse very fast and there was lots of debris flying around. We've all had to find a place to stay tonight as they aren't letting us back in the building."
The fire was declared a major incident by the fire service, who told people to avoid the area. It added that the building was showing signs of collapse, with intermittent bangs heard from Beresford Street.
By 5pm, the main body of fire had been extinguished. The fire service's latest update stated: "The incident is no longer classed as a major incident and successful firefighting tactics have resulted in the fire being greatly reduced, with the main body of fire now extinguished. Great Homer Street has been reopened for vehicle access."
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