Chester grinds to a halt as restaurant catches fire

Oct 7 2008 by Laura Sharpe, Liverpool Daily Post

A FIRE in Chester’s main high street brought the city to a standstill yesterday.

Plumes of smoke billowed from the roof of McDonald’s restaurant, on Foregate Street, and could be seen across the city.

A customer in McDonald’s at the time said: “We saw the smoke coming through the vents inside. Somebody shouted ‘fire’, and we were all told to leave.

“When we saw the smoke, we ran out. It was pretty scary.”

The restaurant and nearby Woolworths, HMV and Boots shops were evacuated and the lower half of the street cordoned off.

Traffic and bus routes were diverted after the alarm was raised at 12.30pm.

Police held back crowds, while five fire engines and an aerial ladder tackled the blaze.

By 2.30pm, Foregate Street was reopened and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service left the scene at 3.30pm.

Lagging has been removed from the roof and it is thought the fire started in the roof due to maintenance work.

An investigation is ongoing.