Woman found dead and homes evacuated in Shrewsbury flat fire

A woman has died after a fire broke out at a ground floor flat in a 16th Century building in Shrewsbury.

Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to Windsor Place, near Castle Street, at about 03:30 GMT, where the woman, aged in her 80s, was found dead.

West Mercia Police said one other person was reported to have suffered injuries in the blaze, described as “significant”, but they were not believed to be serious.

The force added a critical incident had been declared, and the cause of the fire, which was not being treated as suspicious, was being investigated by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

As a precaution, a number of homes were evacuated and people asked to leave nearby buildings. They were taken to Shrewsbury’s Guildhall.

At the height of the blaze, 10 fire engines were sent to the scene as well as hazardous area response team paramedics, an ambulance, three paramedic officers, a MERIT trauma team and a critical care paramedic.

Shropshire Council has set up an emergency phone number for those who have not been able to make contact with anyone from a home evacuated in the early hours as a result of the fire.

Alec Thomas, temporary head of service delivery at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said crews got to the scene in four minutes, and the fire was “well-developed” on arrival.

“In total, fire engines were sent from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, we also had support from other appliances from neighbouring fire services because we needed two aerial appliances to tackle the fire from above, as the fire had spread to the roof,” he said.

“There’s a few neighbouring properties that were affected… those people that did have to evacuate their properties were supported and we’re slowly engaging with them to let them know the state of their property and when they can get back in.”

He added that the service were planning to be at the scene for the remainder of the day and urged the public to test their smoke alarms.

A cordon remains in place with surrounding roads closed, the police said, and the public are advised to avoid the area.

Mel Evans was one of those asked to leave her home.

“We had the police knocking on our door this morning at about half past four, evacuating us from our building because there was a fire nearby, and they needed to get people out,” she said.

“We were taken to an office nearby to get in the warm and the dry, and the police have been very good at keeping us updated.

“I think they were scared the fire was going to spread, but they managed to get on top of it quite quickly.”

She and fellow resident Rebecca Lee said they hoped to be back in their building by lunch time.

Alex Wagner, deputy leader of Shropshire Council and mayor of Shrewsbury, said: “It’s a tragedy, and Shrewsbury is one of these places where people know each other, I’ve already had messages from people with connections to the deceased, so our thoughts and all of our condolences are with the family,” he told the BBC.

“The teams here couldn’t have done more from what we can see.

“Lots of people live along here, you’ve got over 100 residents on Castle Street… it is a residential area.”

He described the building as “one of those 16th Century classic old Shrewsbury buildings”.

The authority has been taking care of those evacuated, Wagner said.

“Shropshire Council’s emergency housing team were up first thing this morning… making sure there was provision for them, we’ve been looking after them as best as we can, there were a reasonable number, over 10 or so affected,” he added.

West Mercia Police Chief Constable Richard Cooper said it had been a “significant fire” and he expected the emergency services to remain at the scene “for some time”.

“Unless you have an absolute need to go to that location, don’t go,” Cooper said.