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ABLAZE: firefighters tackle the flames in the roof

FIREFIGHTERS called to a chip shop blaze in a historic market square on Wednesday have said it was probably caused by an electrical fault.

North Yorkshire Fire Brigade was alerted to the fire, at Barker's Traditional Fish and Chips shop in Richmond, at about 10.40am.

By the time they arrived, staff had been evacuated but the flames had ripped through the two-storey building and had begun bursting through the roof.

It took several hours for the crews from Richmond, Leyburn, Reeth, Colburn and Bedale to douse the flames, with the help of an aerial ladder from Darlington. They left the scene just after 4pm, having removed the roof to make the building safe.

Bob Ions, who owns Richmond Books next door to the chip shop, said he became aware of the blaze after seeing a passing postman gazing in astonishment at the neighbouring premises.

He said: "I came outside to see what he was looking at, and saw the flames bursting through next door's roof.

"It was very dramatic. I thought it was going to spread to my shop, but thankfully the old thick stone walls seem to have stopped it.

"It could have been a lot worse - I'm just pleased that no-one was hurt."

Peter Darley, watch manager at Richmond, was one of the first firefighters on the scene.

"The fire seems to have started downstairs, but it did most of its damage in the roof," he said. "There is also extensive water damage throughout the building.

"We had to remove the roof tiles before we could enter, and when we investigated we saw that the most likely cause of this blaze was wires overheating due to an electrical fault. It started in the fuse box and quickly spread through the whole building.

"It could have been triggered by a multitude of things, for example too much power coursing through the wires at any one time. The best way people can avoid this happening is by regular maintenance of their electrical systems."

He added: "Everyone here has been very lucky."

To see a video report, go to dst.co.uk

8:35am Friday 16th May 2008

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