OFFICES DESTROYED

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31154, 2 September 1966, Page 1

OFFICES DESTROYED

Three wooden partition offices in a baked enamel factory of concrete block construction at 428 St Asaph street were destroyed by fire yesterday afternoon. The fire was confined to the offices, and did not spread into the factory, owned by H. M. Sarchett, Ltd. Paint supplies were housed in a concrete room with a fireproof door at the back of tne building. The fire broke out at 1.30 p.m. Mr B. C. Ward, the fac tory foreman, saw smoke coming from the main office. There was no-one in the office. Mrs J. Bell, who works in the office, was in another part of the building. Her handbag containing £6O and

a cheque book were lost in i I the fire. Mr Ward sent for a fire extinguisher, and although it was tried on the fire, the heat prevented it being used close ; enough. When the extinguisher was pushed round the door the heat melted the composition nozzle. The eight employees of the factory were evacuated and the fire brigade called from a telephone in a neighbouring building. The fire quickly spread to the other offices, and the heat destroyed a ‘ large section of the asbestos roof. Two units were dispatched ‘ from the Central Fire Station and the fire was controlled j before it spread into the staff cloakroom where most of the, employees had their belongings. Mr Ward said his jacket and shoes were burned, but I

he managed to find the keys to his car in the remains after the fire. Another worker lost his lunch tin, and some cash and office records were destroyed. Mr Sarchett later estimated the cost of the damage at hundreds of pounds. He said a more accurate estimate could not be given until the insurance assessors examined the building today. Mr Sarchett said last night that had there not been an escape door the staff would not have been able to get out. "The firemen and my staff did a wonderful job under the circumstances.” he said. “It was a real furnace. I am very grateful for what they did. “Had the fire broken out at ■ night it would have swept through the whole 8000 square feet of the premises,” he said.