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Bury St Edmunds Cupola House 'unsafe' after Strada fire | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
Structural engineers are to attempt to dismantle part of a 17th Century building declared unsafe after a fire. | |
There have been fears Cupola House in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk could collapse after a fire tore through it on Saturday night. | |
Suffolk County Council said work to bring down a quarter of the façade started earlier. | |
Fires deep within the building, which houses a Strada restaurant, are expected to burn for another five days. | |
Street lights are being removed to allow a long-reach crane on to the site. | |
Two fire engines and a high-reach aerial appliance are at the scene and have worked on tackling hot spots and preventing the fire's spread, the council said. | |
A cordon was put in place around the site, but the council said 26 businesses that were forced to shut because of the fire had re-opened. | |
'Community spirit' | |
Fourteen shops and businesses near the Strada remain closed. | |
John Wilcock, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service's incident commander, said: "This has been a real team effort. | |
"Despite the very sad reason we're all here, the sense of community spirit has helped people soldier on. | |
"We're doing everything we can to help the local businesses affected by this fire to open as quickly as possible." | |
More than 100 people inside the Strada were led to safety before crews arrived on Saturday. | |
County councillor Colin Spence said the fire had damaged an iconic building and was "devastating for local people, visitors and the town". | |
Fire crews said it spread quickly after igniting in the cellar of the five-storey building. | |
About 80 firefighters tackled the blaze at its height. | About 80 firefighters tackled the blaze at its height. |
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