Shropshire restaurant fire sparks blast fear
Businesses and homes in a Shropshire town centre were evacuated after a fire broke out in a restaurant, sparking fears of a gas explosion.
Eight fire engines, police and ambulance crews were called to Brooks Around The Corner on Church Street in Oswestry yesterday evening, after a fire started in the restaurant's basement at about 5pm.
Inspector Ben Smith, force duty inspector for West Mercia Police, said there were initial concerns over gas canisters in the basement.
He said:"The fire began in the basement but it had reignited elsewhere in the building on the first floor by about 7pm."
By 8.15pm, businesses and homes along the street were asked to evacuate and the power was isolated to the building .
Nathan Leonard, who works at The Bell Inn on Church Street, said the whole street was evacuated.
It is not yet known what started the fire.
Inspector Smith said: "An evacuation was put in place to make sure the fire services had a safe work place and to ensure the safety of the people close by."
Crews from Ellesmere, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Tweedale tackled the blaze, which took about three hours to fully extinguish.
Firefighters were also called to a blaze in a bedroom in Oswestry.Crews from Ellesmere, Oswestry and Shrewsbury were called to tackle the fire which had started in a property on Victoria Street at 12.15pm yesterday.
