Fire in West Street

November 1936

Mexborough and Swindon Times November 27, 1936

Fire in West Street

On Friday afternoon, as Mrs Richardson was attending to business in the grocery and grease grocery shop in West Street, owned by her husband Mr John Richardson, she heard a crackling noise overhead as smoke issued and ashes fell from a hole in the ceiling.

Two assistants from the adjoining premises of the Doncaster Cooperative Society Ltd ran-in with fire extinguishers and held the blaze in check, pending the arrival of the fire brigade, which was soon on the spot and extinguished the flames but not before damage amounting to about £75 had been done.

 

The origin of the fire was in a bedroom grate in which cement had cracked and allowed burning coals to drop on to the beams of the shop ceiling. This necessitated the removal of the fireplace in order to extinguish the fire.

While the commotion was at its height it was noticed that Kathleen, Mrs Richardson’s little daughter was nowhere to be seen, but she was afterwards found in the kitchen, where she had been playing in blissful ignorance of her danger.