FIREFIGHTERS battled to control a blaze which destroyed part of a rooftop relaxation area of Chester Town Hall being used as an official smoking zone.
It is thought a discarded cigarette was to blame – sending firefighters to the town hall in Northgate Street at 7.10am yesterday (Wednesday).
When crews arrived they found the section of the roof, near The Forum shopping arcade, had caught fire.
Three fire engines from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and one from Ellesmere Port fire station attended the fire, which took just over 20 minutes to put out.
Firefighters used hoses to extinguish the fire, which destroyed part of the staff relaxation and smoking area.
The fire is thought to have been started by a discarded cigarette which had been thrown into a plant pot and set the seating area on fire.
Speaking about the fire, the watch manager said: “I am pretty sure that someone had dropped a cigarette end in a plant pit and that had set the area alight.
“The area was half destroyed by the fire, which was a circular area, about eight metres across used for smoking, lunchtimes and staff breaks.”
Spokesperson for Cheshire West and Chester Council Laura Johnson said: “The damage was very minimal. It did not set fire to the roof, all that was damaged was one small corner of the wooden gazebo.”
