Fire damages town centre office (From Bucks Free Press)

Fire damages Chesham town centre office

5:51pm Wednesday 19th September 2012 in News By Lawrence Dunhill

THREE crews of firefighters rushed to Chesham town centre this morning after a fire broke out in a High Street office.

No one was injured, but the offices of the Housing Interaction Trust were 20 per cent damaged by fire and 40 per cent damaged by smoke. The incident happened shortly before 9.45am.

Bucks Fire & Rescue said the fire started in the choke unit of a fluorescent light fitting in the ceiling. There were two people in the office at the time and they said the light exploded.

The building was safely evacuated, along with the people in the shop below and an adjacent building – about 12 people in all.

About 15 firefighters were deployed to the scene, using a hose reel to put out the fire and a fan to clear the smoke.

The fire damaged the ceiling around the light and the floor beneath it, where burning debris from the light fitting fell. There was also significant smoke damage to the office.

Fraser Pearson, a spokesman for Bucks Fire & Rescue, added: “Although it is not uncommon for light fittings to overheat and they sometimes give off a burning smell and some smoke, it is unusual for this type of incident to develop so quickly into a fire and cause so much damage.

“This must have come as a shock to the occupants, and we are relieved that everyone was able to get out safely and that there were no injuries.”

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