Construction site fire leads to Bath city centre closure
Construction
24th September 2008
A huge fire broke out on a construction site in Bath yesterday (September 23rd), forcing the closure of part of the city centre.
Scores of people were forced to spend the night in a shelter after being evacuated from their homes.
Eye witnesses told the BBC that flames and smoke were seen billowing from the building site by Henry Street, near a branch of Marks and Spencer in the city.
The fire began after a bitumen burner caused a number of gas cylinders to explode on the top of a block of shops that were under construction, reported the Bath Chronicle.
Jeff Saffin, group manager for social services and manager of the centre in which residents sought shelter, commented: "The plan we had in place made sure that the evening ran smoothly, we knew how to react to the situation [...] There was good support from everybody involved."
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