Two have lucky escape from fire

Two people who tried to save clothing from a burning shop yesterday were lucky to escape without serious injuries, say firefighters.

A spectacular fire in the clothing store in Roscommon Rd, Clendon, South Auckland, at about 1pm grew with alarming speed, said fire safety officer Robert Watson.

Two people, including a person who worked in the shop, tried to save stock, but the fire grew in intensity and they were forced back.

"It was a very small fire in the beginning when they discovered it and it grew very quickly," Mr Watson said.

The shop held a lot of light, synthetic clothing which burned rapidly.

"It was very, very spectacular. If you can imagine a corner shop which was glazed on two sides ... with smoke and flames coming out of both sides, it looked pretty dramatic."

Mr Watson said the fire was believed to have started in a storeroom and was not thought to be suspicious.

- NZPA