Chaos descended on Broad Street Monday lunch time and Ross town centre ground to a halt as Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews attended a fire in a second floor flat above the Madame Butterfly clothes store.

Two crews from Ross fire station initially arrived at 12.15pm, but fearing the possibility of people inside the building, they requested extra resources and a third pump arrived from Whitchurch. Thankfully, those fears were unfounded but in the mean time crowds had gathered on the street to watch the smoke seep out from the upper floor windows.

Traffic was gridlocked as the fire crews blocked the one way street and Police eventually arrived to close Broad Street at the junction of Gloucester Road, and to direct cars back up the street that were trapped in the one way system.

Firefighters in breathing apparatus carried out a thorough search of the flat and the attic space above it, confirming that the property was unoccupied, and then tackled the fire with two hose reels and a covering jet used. Positive pressure ventilation equipment was also used to help clear the smoke from the premises.

After getting the fire under control crews remained at the scene, damping down, and the road eventually re-opened at 2.30pm.

Station Commander Gary Jay from HWFRS said:

"Thankfully this fire was spotted by a passer-by who raised the alarm and fire crews were quickly at the scene. Without this early alert, the damage could easily have been far worse."

He confirmed that there was severe fire damage in the lounge area where the fire is believed to have been started by a lamp.

For the rest of this story please see this week's Ross Gazette.