Pembrokeshire County Council will be seeking to rehouse five people following a major fire in Pembroke Dock on Saturday morning. Around 20 families were evacuated from their homes after the blaze, involving a ground floor furniture shop and two three-storey residential properties in Law Street, broke out at around 4.35 am.
Fire crews from Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Haverfordwest, Tenby, and appliances from Carmarthen were called to the incident and firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus sets, used eight jets to fight the fire. Two people were rescued from the first floor of the furniture shop using ladders. The evacuated residents were taken to the Tesco store in Pembroke Dock where they were given shelter and refreshments. All of them, apart from one couple, later went to stay with other family members or friends. The remaining pair were given accommodation by the council in Haverfordwest.
The authority also provided temporary accommodation for three men who, because of structural problems, were unable to access their flat located near the fire damaged property County council leader, Clr. John Davies, has thanked Tesco management and staff at the Pembroke Dock store for their co-operation. "They were first class," he said. "They couldn't do enough for the people who were evacuated there. We are very grateful for their public-spiritedness."
County council structural engineer, Richard Lawrence, was also at the scene on Saturday morning to provide expert assessment on the structural safety of the building. Also at the meeting were the owners' loss adjusters.
The owners' loss adjusters agreed to employ structural engineers in order to start preparatory work for moving the situation forward. The engineers will need to assess the damage fully prior to carrying out works which, in the medium term, will allow the road to be opened.
As at Monday morning, roads around the property will remain closed until further structural assessments have been carried out. The cause of the blaze is still being investigated. Police are appealing for anyone with information about the fire to contact Pembroke Dock Police Station on 0845 330 2000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.