Two NSW Fire Brigade units were called to the Best & Less shop in Armidale’s Eastern Beardy Street Mall around 4:45pm on Monday. Smoke billowed from the roof, with fire crews working frantically to ensure the fire did not spread to adjoining businesses.

Firefighters struggled to keep the fire under control, as its location in the roof cavities made access difficult.
Armidale Best and Less Store Manager, Daniel Fordham, said that it happened quietly and quickly. “It was pretty scary. The first we knew about it was when someone from across the street came in and said ‘there’s smoke coming out of your roof’. We immediately evacuated in an orderly fashion,” he said. “There were a total of four staff and one customer in the store at the time.”
Preliminary estimates put the damage bill at over $100,000.
Captain Scott Norton of the NSW Fire Brigade, Armidale said the threat of the fire spreading was real, because of a shared roof structure and general proximity. Businesses including a Thai restaurant, a TAB and a pet shop were evacuated. Animals were rushed to safety by anxious pet shop staff. “It was important to get the animals evacuated promptly. Budgies can be quick to succumb to smoke – that’s why birds like that were used in mines,” Captain Norton said.
The smoke inside the premises was thick and there was little airflow in the congested
roof cavities. This slowed the
fire’s spread but created challenging conditions for firefighters – one nearly collapsed and all regularly retreated outside the rear of the building for clean air and water.
A structural engineer is expected to be called to assess the damage and structural integrity of the roof, where the fire started and was contained. The building is locally owned and is believed to be insured. The owners were among the onlookers in the East End Mall/Coles carpark. The biggest cause for head-scratching was the concerning sense of ‘déjà vu’.
In the second week of October, 2006, a similar fire smouldered in the same roof, though this time more of the fire was towards the front of the premises. Best and Less had only been trading for about two months when the ’06 blaze forced an evacuation. Firefighters said that this time, it was much worse.
If wiring in the roof was to blame, serious questions relating to how history could have repeated are likely to be on the agenda. “An investigation will occur,” Captain Norton confirmed.
It is not known when the store will re-open for business.

Story: Gary Fry