FIREFIGHTERS were called to a house fire in a town near Ludlow on Saturday evening (September 23).

The fire, which spread through a cavity wall as smoke billowed from a roof, happened in Salop Street in Bishop’s Castle at around 5.20 pm.

The road was closed with fire crews asking members of the public to avoid the area, but Salop Street has since reopened. One crew from Bishop’s Castle along with one crew from Clun were sent to the incident.

Police Constable Stuart Coote happened to be in the area at the time and helped to control the traffic by closing the road near the Three Tuns, a historic pub and brewery that has been operating in the Shropshire town since 1642.

A spokesperson for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said: “At 5.20 pm on Saturday, September 23, 2023, SFRS fire control received a call reporting a house fire in Bishop’s Castle.

“An operations officer was in attendance. Two fire appliances including the aerial ladder platform were mobilised from Bishop’s Castle and Clun.”

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: “The local Safer Neighbourhood Team for Bishop’s Castle, PC Coote, was in the area and noticed the incident happening on Saturday evening. He offered to ease the traffic problems so that the fire service could deal with the fire.”

South Shropshire Safer Neighbourhood Team said in a tweet: “Bishop’s Castle police are in attendance at a house fire in Salop Street. Please avoid.”

No one was hurt in the fire.

Bishop’s Castle and Clun fire stations are operated by managers and firefighters who are on call and respond to incidents from their homes and workplaces.

All SFRS firefighters live within five minutes of their stations. There are currently around 310 firefighters on call across Shropshire, with the fire service having one of the best availability rates in the UK.