Disaster prevented by fire safety equipment
Fire safety equipment helped to prevent a “catastrophe” at a store in Ilkeston, it has been claimed.
Owner Kieron Armstrong thought there had been some sort of mistake when the fire alarm went off at Armstrong’s Mill on Wednesday, August 25th 2010.
Nevertheless, his customers were shown to the exit, and it was only as the last shopper was leaving the building that Mr Armstrong was informed the premises were on fire, the Ilkeston Advertise reports.
“I ran straight up there to check everyone was out [and] when I opened the door the flames were 15 ft high and scorching hot,” he told the news provider.
Luckily the store was fully equipped with the necessary fire safety equipment, and Mr Armstrong grabbed a fire extinguisher to tackle the blaze before the fire sprinklers kicked in.
“It would have been an absolute catastrophe if it wasn’t for the sprinkler system, the building could have been ruined,” he confirmed.
The fire was eventually put out by firefighters and the cost of the damage has been estimated at £100,000 – although Mr Armstrong believes it could have been much worse.
