12 Nov 2012
Fire has destroyed a national charity’s headquarters.
Smoke billowed out for miles around the offices of Surf Life Saving Great Britain in the city centre of Exeter.
Its headquarters, next to the historic cathedral and city walls, are believed to have caught fire from a blaze which started at the nearby offices of construction services firm RGB Recruitment, which spread through to an annexe at the back of the building in the Southernhay area.
Both the charity’s and RGB’s offices were severely smoke-damaged and will be out of use for several months, according to reports in Western Morning News which quoted Surf Life Saving chief executive Esther Pearson.
The fire started just before 7.30am on November 2 and was attended by 35 firefighters in six fire engines. No-one was injured.
No one was in the offices at the time so fire crews had to force their way in.
Copyright Press Association 2012