Firefighters from around Pembrokeshire fought a fire in Haverfordwest during the early hours of Christmas Day. After receiving a report of the blaze in Bridge Street at about 12.40 am, two fire crews were immediately mobilised from the town's fire station. They discovered a well-developed fire within a flat situated on an upper floor of a range of terraced shops, including Millets, the Card Factory, Dr. China Herb and Acupuncture and Snape's dental surgery. The fire was seen to have spread into the common roof space above several adjoining properties and a turntable ladder was mobilised in support from Haverfordwest. Access to the flat and the roof space area was particularly difficult due to the building arrangement and initial firefighting was carried out from the area of the Riverside Market at the rear of the affected property. The advanced stage of the fire at the time of discovery and the apparent presence of concealed voids connecting the adjoining buildings led to other properties becoming involved. The abundance of highly flammable stock within some of these properties also added to the development of the fire. At the height of the blaze a total of seven fire appliances and two special high reach appliances were in use. Crews from Narberth, Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock, Crymych and Tenby were called to the scene. Firefighters worked for several hours to successfully prevent the spread of fire to other properties within the closely confined Bridge Street area and fortunately there was no report of injury to any members of the public or emergency services. The fire service has emphasised that the age of the buildings within the Bridge Street area is such that they are comprised of various standards of construction carried out over different periods. Most have been changed and extended over many years and have resulted in terraced buildings within a confined area sharing common roof voids and floor spaces along which fire may travel unchecked and unseen. These features are typical of many of the older market town areas that have been subject to numerous alterations and additions during the lifetime of the buildings. The fire service is anxious to stress that fires of this magnitude are fortunately rare and that trained fire service personnel are continually available to offer advice to business managers and householders on minimising the risk to their businesses and homes. Firefighters and community fire safety staff from the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service visit properties to provide home fire safety advice free of charge. Requesting a home fire safety check is an easy process. You can either ring 0800 389 9279 (English) or 0800 389 9297 (Welsh) or you can complete an online application form which can be found on the website http://www.mawwfire.gov.uk">www.mawwfire.gov.uk.
