Tragedy as woman dies in blaze that engulfs historic Shrewsbury town centre building
A woman has died after a major fire at a historic Shrewsbury town centre building.
The emergency services were scrambled to the scene of the blaze, at Perches House in Windsor Place, off Castle Street, at around 3.22am on Tuesday (January 27).
At the height of the incident 10 fire crews were helping tackle the blaze.
A host of people were evacuated as firefighters battled to stop the fire spreading and destroying the historic timber-framed building.
Tragically it was announced that Rose Roberts, who was in her 80s and was carried from the building by firefighters, was confirmed dead at the scene by paramedics.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said that another man was assessed for injuries but was discharged at the scene.
The response to the incident meant Shrewsbury's town centre was brought to a standstill, with police cordoning off Castle Street as firefighters battled the blaze on the narrow Windsor Place.
They used large jets of water while others worked on the aerial ladder platform above the roof level.
Pictures of the fire show flames bursting from the roof of the 16th-century property, which featured in the 1984 film A Christmas Carol.
In the cold light of day the damage to the building was clear, with charred beams exposed on the badly damaged roof.
Dorian Gerghold, who lives in the nearby Watergate Mansion, said it was incredibly sad that someone had died in the blaze.
He explained he had been alerted to the sound of firefighters desperately working to get the blaze under control.
He said: "I was woken up by the sound of crashing slate at around 4am.
"There were slates coming off the roof.
"There were firefighters up on a ladder, one arrived with a crane."
Mr Gerhold was not evacuated but was able to get out of his home despite being within the cordon.
Speaking at around 11.30am he said: "The roof is a mess but they seem to have saved most of the building, it was still smoking about half an hour ago."
Police said the fire had taken place in a ground-floor flat and that a critical incident had been declared, with a number of agencies co-ordinating their response.
Superintendent Helen Kinrade for Shropshire confirmed that a person had died and that support was being provided to those affected.
She said: "Sadly one person has died in the fire which started in the early hours of this morning and our thoughts are with their loved ones at this tragic time.
"A multi-agency response has been established, led by our colleagues at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, to tackle the fire with Shropshire Council supporting local residents who have been evacuated. Surrounding roads have been closed and we would ask the public to avoid the area to allow emergency services to deal with the incident safely."
In the aftermath of the incident the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Alex Wagner, said: "I want to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Rose Roberts, who has died following the fire on Castle Street in the early hours of this morning.
"She was part of the fabric of our town centre community and was well loved by many in Shrewsbury.
"Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic event."
Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley also offered her condolences, while thanking the emergency services for their efforts.
She said: “My thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragic fire on Castle Street last night, in which a woman in her 80s sadly lost her life.
”I want to place on record my sincere thanks to Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, the ambulance crews, and the police for their swift and coordinated response."
