Cheshire, England, March 21, 2006--A terrified businessman had to leap off the office roof of his carpet warehouse, and an employee jumped through a ball of flames as a fire ripped through the building, according to the Ellesmere Port Standard.
The fire broke out when inflammable glue spray was accidentally pierced near a gas heater and exploded as fumes hit the pilot light.
The blaze spread swiftly and posed a serious threat to two men at Concept Carpets, on the Clayhill Industrial Estate, Neston.
At about 1.15 pm owner Joseph Torode, 42, found himself trapped in an office on the mezzanine level as the flames took hold.
Wife Michelle,36, and 19-year-old daughter Anne-Marie watched in terror as Mr Torode initially tried to battle the flames himself.
Mrs Torode said: “We’ve got a hose in the office directly above where the fire started, and Joe went back in to try to put the fire out.
“My daughter and I were standing on the warehouse floor below shouting and screaming to him to jump clear. We were terrified.
“He was just shouting, ‘the warehouse, the warehouse’, but you can replace carpets, but nothing can replace lives.
”We’re just lucky to have them still here.”
Eventually, Mr Torode leapt off the roof of the office inside the warehouse through a wall of flames. The fire burned his arms and he needed medical attention from paramedics who were called.
An employee was also hurt as he tried to escape.
John Baker,17, fell awkwardly after jumping through a ball of fire on the warehouse floor, which was strewn with stock, and hurt his back.
Both men were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital for further treatment
Mrs Torode added: “We’d been doing a stock-take and there was a mess all over the place, and then it just all happened very quickly.
“The chances of it happening are a million to one.”
Ellesmere Port Fire Station watch manager Ken Dickson said: “The carpets were stacked vertically and they acted like candles, drawing the fire up them and blowing out of the top.
“We sent in six firefighters with breathing equipment and each firefighter had to go back in three times. It was a long job and the whole place was full of a thick black smoke.”
Four pumps went to the scene and firefighters worked for several hours to put out the blaze as smoke began to penetrate the neighbouring premises.
Each burning carpet had to be carried outside so firefighters could put it out and this back-breaking work carried on until almost 6 pm.
The entire roof has been burned through and not a single item of stock has survived the blaze.
Mrs Torode said: “We’ve been devastated. The stock is all still outside and the gas meter has had to be taken out because it was so badly damaged.
“It’s our customers we feel so bad about.”
Neighbouring premises were badly hit by the smoke pouring out of Concept Carpets, but they all rallied round and helped each other out.
“They bought us cups of tea and its been like the war,” said Mrs Torode.
The store is hoping to open up again within a few days after their landlord, Whittle Jones, granted them temporary accommodation at a unit on Millennium Court nearby.
