One of UK's tallest buildings on fire as locals run for cover and windows tumble

19 March 2024 , 16:19

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Windows shattered and glass rained down onto the street around the skyscraper during the fire (Image: Liverpool Echo)

Emergency services rushed to a fire in a Liverpool city centre skyscraper on Brook Street as witnesses were forced to run for cover when glass started falling from the building.

Some of the windows in West Tower on Brook Street appeared to have blown out this afternoon as emergency services found the building on fire. Witnesses said there had been a fire in the building and smoke could still be smelled in the air.

A contractor working in the building suffered "minor burns" but no-one else was injured, according to the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. Four fire engines, a number of police cars and a paramedic rushed to the scene where they found a fire burning on the roof of the skyscraper.

At 2.45pm this afternoon, the windows on one of the lower floors of the building smashed, forcing witnesses watching the fire unfold on the street to run for cover. Video footage taken by the Liverpool Echo showed glass spraying down onto the street, but it is unclear at this stage what caused the windows to smash.

A contractor working in the building suffered "minor burns" but no-one else was injured, according to the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (Liverpool Echo)

Video footage taken by the Liverpool Echo showed glass spraying down onto the street, but it is unclear at this stage what caused the windows to smash (Liverpool Echo)

The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement: "Fire crews have been called to a high rise building fire on Brook Street, Liverpool L3 this afternoon, with four fire engines and an aerial appliance in attendance at the peak of the incident. Crews arrived to find a fire on the roof of the building, around the 40th floor. Crews worked on the roof material to expose the area and enable access to extinguish the fire.

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"A contractor on scene was suffering minor burns, with fire crews administering first aid. An ambulance was requested for further assessment of the casualty, who was not required to go to hospital. After the fire was extinguished on the roof, crews checked lower floors for smoke travel after alarms actuated and detected no smoke travel through the building. Crews continued to monitor the area with thermal imaging cameras and remain on scene."

Lucy Skoulding